Farewell Dear Pete

Today we had to have our Pete put to sleep. Most of you are dog-lovers, too, and know how hard this is. However, we're trying to look on the bright side. Thanks to his surgery by Dr. Stork back in Rockport, TX in Oct, he got an extra 8 months of quality life to run around and chase birds! It's true that his left leg was getting lumpy again, but it wasn't until a few days ago that it swelled up to twice its size and he was clearly in pain. This morning, we decided to take him over to Stock Island. A nice vet referred us to the SPCA for reduced-cost euthanasia and cremation, and we were glad that the Pink Cabs here allow dogs to ride. I can't say enough nice things about the SPCA! They were so kind and compassionate and only charged us $35, which was really helpful. Daren was with Pete until the end. I was there with our last cancer-ridden dog, Dixie, and just couldn't do it today, so I guess we take turns. For all the crying we've done, we still believe dogs are worth every tear you shed when they go to dog Heaven! Pete will be sorely missed, but I think Miss Libby will be happy to be an only child! She might even lose a few pounds, as she was constantly stealing his food!! Dogs have such short lives, but they teach us an important lesson: Every day we have here on this earth is a gift, and we need to follow a dog's example of showing all the love we can to all the people we can, every chance we can! (with apology to John Wesley)