Bye bye, Buddy

In case you hadn't already heard through the grapevine, we had to put Buddy down this morning. He had a tumor growing on his back end for a few months now, and it finally became to serious. Without the details...it was way gross, and I intend to never clean up that much poop again...until kids. It was for the best, even though we kept wondering, "Does it have to be now? Maybe it's just a one time thing?" Denial ain't no river in Egpyt! To Buddy's credit, he held on, just like he'd been doing the past 17 years. He had almost three times the normal amount of injection for a dog his size. I don't think he was ready to let go...just as much as we weren't. It was very sad to watch, and I made sure to stay in his eye sight the whole time, while dad held him and felt his heartbeat soften. I was very distraught, to say the least, and I have been crying almost ever since we made the decision late last night to put him down this morning. Anyone who's had a pet knows that they really are a part of the family, and his absence is already heavily felt.

RIP
Buddy Hamilton
4/19/08