A bittersweet thank you

If you have it, go ahead and spend the extra $90. You won't miss it a month from now, and having him there to do what you wish (Bailey sits in our room, and from time to time I'll place her on her favorite spot), to either spread in the yard or to keep, is worth the extra money.

 

what is this crap? holocaust for dogs? is the 'mass cremation' s.o.p.? seems absolutely awful to me... if you're paying it sure seems to me i'd want my dog's ashes ONLY. JEEBUS....

 

They are making a bit of cash on this. Just like funeral homes do.

 

My guess is that for the mass cremation, they don't give you the ashes (based on that Crusoes said there was no urn).

 

Yes. That is correct.

 

Tuesday has come and gone. His death was quiet and dignified. The appointment was for the afternoon, so the waiting was the agony. At the end, my throat was going dry as it clenched, which led to a lot of rudimentary sign language. I had a final portrait taken of Sparky and I by a photographer friend.

I figure I'll be getting used to his absence for a while. I had him for more than 14 1/2 years, although I suspect it's more the other way around. I used to joke that he was not the dumb animal. After all, someone else fed him, provided room and board and picked up his poop. Didn't sound like HE was the dumb animal (grin). But at the end, he stayed in my lap until it was time for the final injection. I told him how much he was loved, apologized for not being always the ideal owner, stroked him and kissed him until the end.

People have been very supportive, here and on the Facebook. Most people who knew my Sparky Boy don't live within 40 miles of where I am, so it was comforting to hear your words and theirs.

In the end, I took the more expensive cremation. I'm going to Florida for a vacation this weekend, and I will be able to pick up his ashes when I return.

Thanks again for your indulgence.

 

Crusoes - My sympathies. Hang in there - things will get better. I still miss Pepper a couple months later, but I know that she's not in pain anymore. She's in a much better place - hanging out with my wife and mother-in-law (and my wife isn't allergic to her there).

 

It gets easier, but it won't go away completely. And you probably don't want it to, either.