Missing Our Logan

I am finally thinking I can get this post written without blubbering all over the keyboard, so here goes.

I have written before about surgeries that our pointer, Logan, had had since March.  These lumps, mostly in the abdominal area proved to be cancerous and extremely aggressive, so aggressive that others would come back near the surgical sites even before the staples were to be removed.  We decided that we could not put him through any more surgeries and eventually there would not be enough skin and other material to close with after lumps were removed.

The cancer grew quickly and the time had come to make the decision to have him euthanized, so I called our long-time friend and veterinarian.  He offered to come to the house which we really appreciated.  This was to occur on Monday 8/22.  I would call him at 12:30 pm and after we would take Logan to the crematory off-Cape.  A couple factors had caused a delay.  He seemed to be having a good day, and the vet ended up in surgery.  This would throw our timing off to get off-Cape to the crematory in time, so we decided he could wait and be comfortable until Friday.  I was concerned about the timing with Irene taking aim at the region and the possibility of traffic jams caused by the exodus of tourists trying to evacuate the Cape.

We spent as much time as we possibly could with him, especially after the decision had been made and he spent a lot of time outside enjoying beautiful days on his bed or a blanket under the maple tree.

Friday morning was beautiful.  Sunny, not too hot.  Mrs placed a bed and blanket in the backyard and we had our final moments with our best buddy there.  I went into auto mode having been in this position with the vet a number of times before, with my own dogs and others who left them at the kennel for us to handle the euthanasia while they were away.  Mrs held him and he was gone in moments.  I saw Vet out to his car and thanked him.  We wrapped him in a blanket and allowed Bella to sniff him with the hope she would 'get it' and not be looking for him.  We carried him to the car and began the short drive to Middleboro.  There were no traffic issues at all getting him to Angel View.  Leaving him there was tough as I have never had one of my dogs cremated before.  They were very kind there.  We left him with his favorite toys; a soft frisbee we called "floppy" and a stuffed duck that Mother-In-Law gave him to be cremated with him.

We have been absolutely lost without him and the house is so quiet.  He was a presence here for seven years.  Now there is no barking when the mailman comes.  No barking when the trash men come.  No barking when the UPS or FedEx man comes.  No dog leaning on us while we tap away at the computer keyboard, no dog to call when we drop a morsel on the floor.  No buddy to toss the floppy to.  Bella is no Logan, but we do love her.

There is a major sense of emptiness in our home and lives now, and I am surprised at how difficult it really has been.  He really was our best friend.  Bella seems to be adjusting ok, and we are including her in as much as we can.

A special thank you to Arkansas Patti over at The New Sixty for answering my e-mail and offering her expert advice.

So, here are a few images of our buddy.

Rest now, our little Doodle.