Its taken over a month but I think I am finally able to say goodbye to Henry. The mere saying of his name doesn’t send me into fits of sobs and tears anymore though it does leave a lump in my throat still. There are still moments like when I found his medal from dog obedience class in the junk draw which sent me to the floor in the fetal position crying uncontrollably. How can an animal have such an effect as this on a person? If you don’t know then you didn’t meet Henry.
He was a 5 pound ball of fluff who looked like a little bear cub when I brought him home and he grew in to a massive 90 pound beast with very human eyes and a permanent pout. He was big by Australian Shepard standards and handsome as could be. He was my shadow for over 11 years. I still turn around and expect him to be there not sure how long it will take for that to go away. I never have felt this much love and this much of a connection with anything in my whole life as I did with Henry. He just knew me and me him without effort without baggage.
He was very protective of his family but most especially of me. He was a good big brother to Tilly and put up with her antics and stealing his Frisbee plus he tolerated the cats.
Sean and Henry had a love hate relationship from the beginning. Sean wasn’t very nice to Henry when he was a puppy so when ever there was yelling or fighting he would try to knock Sean down by nudging him in the not so good place. All I had to do was count to 3 and Henry knew to chase Sean it became a game that Henry enjoyed to the glee of all in the room, not so sure Sean liked it.
Henry was obsessed with Frisbees and would destroy a regular one in 3 seconds flat. Then I found plastic bucket lids and the love affair began. He would chase them for hours if you would throw them and if not he would bark and “herd” them around the back yard. We had a million of them in every room and every corner of the back yard.
He went down hill fast. One day we took him in concerned because he had trouble walking to find out arthritis in his back was bad and he had torn his ACL in his back knee. We tried the steroid shots that seemed to at least make the pain not as bad and we were on his 6th shot and going to spread them out when he got sick and within 2 days he was gone. He died at home another thing he did for me. I didn’t have to take him and make that decision I so hate toward the end of a beloved pets life. He died with his head in my lap in the living room he spent millions of hours in at 3:48 am on August 12, 2009.
There is a big hole in my heart that is still very raw and painful. I have a hard time spending to much time at home especially alone. I will miss him. Its very quiet too he would bark when the kids messed or when they fight.
We lost 2 pets within 2 weeks of each other raising the question of why do we do it, why do we get more. Sara put it eloquently, “even though it hurts we at least know we gave them a great life full of love that they might now have gotten otherwise.” Will I do it again, right now no way not in the near or distant future. Instead I will enjoy the ones left behind.
Farewell Henry the eighth I am Henry the eighth I am I am.
He was a 5 pound ball of fluff who looked like a little bear cub when I brought him home and he grew in to a massive 90 pound beast with very human eyes and a permanent pout. He was big by Australian Shepard standards and handsome as could be. He was my shadow for over 11 years. I still turn around and expect him to be there not sure how long it will take for that to go away. I never have felt this much love and this much of a connection with anything in my whole life as I did with Henry. He just knew me and me him without effort without baggage.
He was very protective of his family but most especially of me. He was a good big brother to Tilly and put up with her antics and stealing his Frisbee plus he tolerated the cats.
Sean and Henry had a love hate relationship from the beginning. Sean wasn’t very nice to Henry when he was a puppy so when ever there was yelling or fighting he would try to knock Sean down by nudging him in the not so good place. All I had to do was count to 3 and Henry knew to chase Sean it became a game that Henry enjoyed to the glee of all in the room, not so sure Sean liked it.
Henry was obsessed with Frisbees and would destroy a regular one in 3 seconds flat. Then I found plastic bucket lids and the love affair began. He would chase them for hours if you would throw them and if not he would bark and “herd” them around the back yard. We had a million of them in every room and every corner of the back yard.
He went down hill fast. One day we took him in concerned because he had trouble walking to find out arthritis in his back was bad and he had torn his ACL in his back knee. We tried the steroid shots that seemed to at least make the pain not as bad and we were on his 6th shot and going to spread them out when he got sick and within 2 days he was gone. He died at home another thing he did for me. I didn’t have to take him and make that decision I so hate toward the end of a beloved pets life. He died with his head in my lap in the living room he spent millions of hours in at 3:48 am on August 12, 2009.
There is a big hole in my heart that is still very raw and painful. I have a hard time spending to much time at home especially alone. I will miss him. Its very quiet too he would bark when the kids messed or when they fight.
We lost 2 pets within 2 weeks of each other raising the question of why do we do it, why do we get more. Sara put it eloquently, “even though it hurts we at least know we gave them a great life full of love that they might now have gotten otherwise.” Will I do it again, right now no way not in the near or distant future. Instead I will enjoy the ones left behind.
Farewell Henry the eighth I am Henry the eighth I am I am.
