goodbyes

Goodbyes make me sad. And there is a goodbye taking place this week that is one of the most difficult ones we have had to say. We made the decision to put Moby to sleep on Friday. Moby has been a part of our family for over 12 years. He was my Christmas present from Thad the first year we were married. He has been with us through 5 moves and adjusted to the new houses extremely well each time. However, it was this last move that alerted us to his failing eyesight. Now, he is completely blind and having a hard time navigating his surroundings making it difficult to keep him safe. He is terrified of thunder and despite being sedated, usually digs the rug or wall until he injures a nail/toe. His immune system is compromised for some reason and he keeps getting ear infections. His skin doesn't look healthy. He has patches of skin that are bald and look infected and irritated. He has dark bumps on his skin in various places including his infected ear. The infected ear causes problems in balance and equilibrium making it even more difficult for him to walk in the right direction or remember how to find his way around. 

We have agonized over this decision for months now and finally feel we have made the right decision. It has been so hard seeing his health deteriorate and I don't think we can stand to see it deteriorate even more. This way we will know he is no longer in pain and resting comfortably. But he will be missed. 

In case you don't know our Moby, he is a black lab mix rescue dog we adopted. He has always thought he was a lap dog despite weighing 80 pounds. He hated it when I was upset or crying. He would try to sit on my lap to "comfort" me. He was a stinker of a puppy who we thought would never calm down. Our first apartment was long with the bathroom on one end and the living room on the opposite end. He would grab the end of the toilet paper and run towards the living room unrolling it as he went. He chewed the table legs and chair legs of our dining room furniture. 

Moby got his name from one of our favorite musicians with the same name. Some of Moby's favorite times were swimming and running along the beach. His second home was my parents house. He loves my dad. When he stayed at their house, he could hear my dad's jeep even before it pulled in the driveway and would make his way to the door to greet him. We would take Moby for walks at my parents house and let him off the leash when we got to a dirt road close by. He would run into the fields and ditches having the time of his life. He was meant to run and explore and chase smells. 

When we lived in the city and took him for walks, we always got comments about our "puppy." Despite the fact that he was no longer a puppy, for years he looked young. Being a lab mix, he was shorter and stockier than typical labs and had a young looking face. We always surprised people when we would tell them his actual age. He loved swimming at Reed's Lake and getting doggy ice cream cones. He was always so gentle and loving with kids. He took to the girls so well right from the start. 

Despite being blind, Moby still has a great sense of smell. He is constantly taking food from the girls. They are right at his level and if not careful, he can snatch something rather quick despite not being able to see it. And he has a thing for butter. The boy could grab an entire stick of butter off the counter and eat it all if you turned your back for just a second. It was amazing and gross. 

Friday night we say goodbye to our buddy, Moby. He has been a  really great dog. I do hope dogs go to heaven because then he will be restored back to his previous healthy state and we can look forward to seeing him again. We are going to miss him.  This picture is from 2005 when we took him camping with us.
This is how I hope to remember him. Happy and healthy.

We love you , Moby and are going to miss you!