chloe

In the midst of that fun Halloween week was deep sadness for our family. Our sweet Chloe, my college dog, died.

Her little body was just getting sicker and her organs failing. She developed a cough a couple of years ago, and was initially diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but recently we found her kidneys were failing, too. She's been on medicine for her heart/cough for a long time and the vet (our good friend, Stephen) kept having to increase the dosage.

She coughed all the time. Incessantly. Her cough had become a background noise in our home. It was annoying to us, but most certainly more annoying to her. At first it was just inconvenient, a nuisance. But overtime it worsened. Her heart was enlarged, pressing her trachea against her spine, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to breathe.

Joe and I ended up having to make the decision. I so didn't want this to be the case! We were preparing for our trip to New York. Chloe was not eating, losing strength, and having issues due to her kidneys. I was really worried that something would happen to her while we were gone. I did not want that. I wanted her to be at home when she breathed her last. Or at least for me to be with her.

Hannah and Joseph have been so sweet. They were very aware of how sick she was and we had talked a lot recently about her not living much longer. When I picked them up from school that Friday, they asked how she was doing, and when I said she was not good, Hannah asked if she had died while they were at school. Sad!

Joe really wanted the kids to see her and hold her one more time. They had grown very attached to her the last few months and he didn't think it was fair for her to just be gone. (That morning was rushed and Chloe didn't leave her crate.) Since the timing was up to us, I understood.

So after school, we were in the backyard and I captured this:

And just like that one I took of Joseph (above) with her earlier in the month, I know those are pictures they will cherish.

The decision was very difficult, as you know if you've had to go through this with a beloved pet (my family has before, twice). I hated the idea of cutting her life shorter than it would be if she passed on her own, but I also was well aware that she wasn't going to get any better. In fact, she was going to get worse. We did not want her to suffer any more. So, Joe and I took her to "Dr. Stephen" that Friday afternoon before our New York trip, October 30th. We asked our babysitter to come over while we went to the vet. We told the kids we were taking Chloe to Dr. Stephen;  We did not tell them that we were making the decision.

Joe and I both cried as the exam room went quiet - from the sound of her coughing, to nothing at all. But peace.

Finally, peace for her. Heavy hearts for us.

We brought her home. Joe let our babysitter go while I sat holding her, wrapped in her polka dot name blanket, on the back porch. Then the kids came outside. It was very simple: they asked if she had died, and we said yes. They asked what happened, and we told them her heart stopped beating. They were ok with that answer, and since it was the truth, I was ok with it, too.

It was also interesting how things unfolded with the kids. They did not cry at first, even when they saw Momma and Daddy cry. But a little while later, Hannah disappeared. Joe found her in the driveway and when he got to her, she was crying. So sweet and so sad.

Her little heart was broken.

Joseph helped Daddy dig a deep hole in the backyard. He was very "helpful" as always. Meme had just arrived in town and took Hannah to the store to buy some flowers for Chloe's grave. It wasn't until Joe took Chloe from my arms and wrapping her in the blanket, laid her down in the ground, that Joseph lost it.

His little heart was broken.

It was so sad. There were a lot of tears. The boys arranged bricks over the dirt and Hannah put flowers in the bricks' holes. We said a prayer and later that night went out again to the tree line where she was buried and said goodnight.

It was very disappointing (and infuriating!) the next morning to find the deer had eaten all the flowers. There were more tears.

Chloe had a great life, a long life. My mom gave her to me for Christmas in 2001. As a puppy, she lived in an apartment with me while I was at Georgia Tech. She moved around Atlanta with me, eventually ending up in Savannah while I was in graduate school. She was my "package deal" when I married Joe. She gained a sister, Mollie, and became Chloe Brooks-Buck.

She moved from Savannah, to Jesup, then to Sandersville. She welcomed two babies into the family - babies that loved her...and drove her crazy. She went to live with Meme for a couple of years in Savannah. She's flown in several airplanes and sat on my lap for countless car rides. She's worn many cute outfits...and Halloween costumes.

Yes, she was slightly spoiled as a pup. She didn't get the same level of attention once children were in the picture, or even Joe for that matter. (She slept in my bed with me through her early years.) But, she was our Chlo-bo, our little moaning furbaby. For fourteen years. {The moaning was her trademark sound whenever she heard anything that made her nervous...even a strong wind outside. It only got better as she started to lose her hearing.}

We loved her and miss her. We will see her again this side of the Rainbow Bridge. I love that idea. That has brought comfort, especially to two precious children.

Rest in peace sweet girl.