Saying Goodbye

Yesterday I had to do one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I had to say goodbye to Youri.

It was so sudden.

One minute he was fine.

The next he wasn't.

I noticed on Tuesday night that he was having a hard time breathing.

Through Wednesday it started sounding worse.

Yesterday I took him to the vet.

When I went to bed Wednesday night,

I didn't realize that was the last night he'd sleep with me in my bed.

When I took him out of the house that morning,

I didn't know it was going to be the last time he was there.

I thought I'd be bringing him home.

A couple hours after dropping him off the vet called.

She said that his lips were turning purple because he wasn't getting enough oxygen.

She said that they had put him in an oxygen box, and that he was doing well in there.

But it was only temporary.

They tried giving him medicine to open his airways and an antibiotic to try to get any fluid out of his lungs.

But he didn't respond to them.

They told me the best thing I could do was to put him to sleep.

They said that if I didn't, he would end up suffocating to death.

So yesterday at 5:30 p.m. I did the only thing that I knew to do, and I let him go.

I can't help but to think that all the abuse he went through caused this.

He was only 9.

I just can't believe he's not here.

I can't believe it happened so fast.

I can't believe that when I get ready to go down to Charleston for drill this weekend,

there won't be a little dog running along side of me making sure I don't forget him.

I couldn't believe he wasn't there when I woke up this morning.

As I was telling him goodbye, I sang this song to him.

I used to sing this song to him often.

He was so misunderstood by so many people.

But I loved him despite it all.

And I miss him terribly.