Good bye

This sweet girl was a part of our family for the last 16 years. It was my first year of university when Mom and Dad brought her into the city from my Grandma's farm. The reason? To take her to the animal shelter. She'd been dropped off at the farm by who knows who and was unwanted.

She was just a pup and was scared and skinny and forlorn. She sat in a cardboard box in the back seat for the entire 3 hour trip.

The animal shelter was closed when they arrived so they brought her home with the intention of going back the next day.

She never left.

Until last week when my parents had to make the unfathomable decision to let her go.

Many people have expressed that having a pet is not worth the heartache when they go. I disagree, violently. Would we trade the last 16 years to avoid the heartache of saying goodbye?

Not in a nanosecond.




Her name was Kricket. We gave her the name because when she was a pup she would make this adorable squeaking sound when she yawned. It seem clever at the time and we certainly were not going to let my brother name her. His pet naming legacy is a cat named Kitty Kat. In my opinion, the fact that he was two years old at the time is irrelevant.

Her death also coincided with my son suddenly growing up about 7 years. When I told the boys that Kricket had died, Jack covered his eyes and then asked me to go away.

I did because I had to respect his need to grieve in his own way.

But it just about killed me that he didn't need me or want me in that moment.

Instead I answered the usual questions from Kamden about the fact that she wasn't ever coming back and we could only see her in pictures. There were no tears shed from this boy.

Jack, on the other hand, cried silently into a pillow for what seemed like an eternity. Then later in the day he asked to see pictures of her.

He's growing up way too fast.

Kricket was patient, loyal, obedient and had the sweetest heart.

She will live forever in our hearts and in my children's hearts for they loved her as much as she loved them.