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[#1]

Life is not always easy, and last week was difficult for us in the passing away of our dog, Champ. He only became lethargic on Saturday, February 4, and over the weekend, we noticed he didn't seem to want to eat. I just thought he was tired. By Monday night, he seemed like he was getting weaker as the day went on. I had Tuesday off, so I took him to the vet first thing Tuesday morning.

They did several tests and X-rays and called us a few hours later to tell us he was full of cancer and we needed to put him down. We were shocked and devastated! He had just had his 6th birthday and a good checkup just three weeks before this. The kids and Mark and me just sat in the family room trying to comprehend what we had just been told through our tears and crying.

We decided to have them give him a blood transfusion to perk him up enough to last another day or two so that the kids could spend another day with him. It worked beautifully! I took off work and the kids missed school, and we just spent a family day together with Champ. Eric even drove home from Washington, DC to come and say goodbye to Champ. Unfortunately, Cory was in Miami and not able to get home.

We took Champ for a walk in the woods where he always liked to go, and the weather was perfect that morning. The kids wanted to take Champ to McDonald's for lunch, where we bought him two hamburgers (which we had never done before). I think the blood transfusion made him feel better, so he was hungry and wolfed down both burgers, bun and all, although he wouldn't eat them until we took the pickles out! The whole scene made the kids laugh and gave us some more great memories!

We all took turns laying with Champ on his blankets on the floor just talking to him, petting him, and saying our goodbyes. It was painful to watch the kids just agonize over losing one of their very best friends! He had that extra-long tongue, which always made him the comic relief in our family. He was a confidant to Ryan and Elizabeth. I felt like I was losing one of my kids!

Later that afternoon, Champ's breathing was becoming heavier, and we could just see him going downhill fast. We took him to the vet, and we were all with him when we put him to sleep. It was peaceful, and I truly believe Champ knew it was his time, because he was so calm through the whole thing.

We were so grateful for that extra day with him and the photos and videos we got and the extra memories that even on a difficult day seemed so sweet and treasured! It's an emotionally painful thing to go through, but it's "better to have loved than not love at all." In a week of Valentine's Day, it's always better to have experienced love in many different ways, even with pets, than to not have had that experience at all. It's even good for the kids to have to understand what loss is like and how to deal with it. It brought our family even closer!

Thank you to all who wrote on my Facebook page or who will respond to this blog. Your comments mean sooooo much to me! Tell someone how much you love them this week and hug your pets! You never know how much longer they will be with you!

Counting our blessings,

—Mary Beth Roe