Those 70ish Girls

We lost our beautiful dog, Nellie. We had to have her put to sleep. We’re really feeling the loss, but the one I feel sorriest for is our other little dog, Rylie. He doesn’t understand why his buddy for all these years isn’t around anymore.

When we had the two of them, they could be left alone for several hours at a time. We left Rylie alone for a couple of hours this morning to see how he would do. We were able to watch him on our security camera, and he propped himself up on the arm of the couch and kept his eyes on the door the whole time we were gone. When we finally came through the door, he cried in relief. We didn’t go to church last Sunday because it was only the day after we lost Nellie, and we didn’t want to leave him alone that long. We’ll be going to church this Sunday as we realize he’s going to have to adjust to not having his buddy by his side.

Is it worth it to have pets when you have to go through the heartbreak of letting them go? It’s a resounding, yes. They add so much to the quality of our lives, and their unconditional love is too amazing to live without.

Nellie had so many endearing personality traits. We’ll always miss her.

Kip and I have owned 17 dogs in our almost 43 years of marriage. Usually 2 at a time, but once when we lived in the country, we had 6. All but 3 of the 17 have been rescued dogs, so some were older when we got them. All still have a place in our hearts where we store fond memories.

Goodbye, sweet Nellie. Thank you for being our faithful friend.