Good-Bye to a 'Lost Boy' Named Teddy

It is with a sad heart that I tell you that yesterday, we sent Teddy to the Rainbow Bridge.  If you had told me that after only having him for 16 days, that I would be writing this post about him, I would not have believed it.

~Teddy on the ride home the day we met~

But I'd taken Teddy to the vet on Monday, holding onto a thread of hope that maybe, just maybe, there was something that could be done. The vet was very kind and patient and answered all of my "what if we tried this questions" about possible treatment.  But none of them were options for Teddy because of what we are certain were the advanced symptoms of a brain tumor. Added to that, his heartbeat was slow, his lungs were starting to sound "crackly" and he'd begun having focal seizures. It was time for Teddy to go.

I'll admit to feeling an overwhelming sadness that our time with Teddy was cut so short. I suppose it's natural to ask, "was there a reason that he came to us?  Is there a lesson to be learned in his loss?"  At the moment, I just don't know, and I may never know. But what I do know with absolute certainty, is that for those 16 days, Teddy was safe, warm and he was loved.

~One of our last days with Teddy~

Teddy loved attention and was an affectionate boy that would lean into you when you petted him. When I would kiss him on the head, or whisper in his ear and tell him how glad I was he was with us, and what a good boy he was, he always would wag his tail.  That made it easy to see that he liked being told that, and when he'd look at me with such soul filled eyes it melted my heart and brought a smile to my face. And so on Monday, when it was time for the vet to end his suffering, I held him and as he left this life for the next, I told him one last time that he was a good boy and that I was grateful that I'd gotten the chance to meet him.

The well known quote by Irving Townsend has been tumbling around in my head since I let Teddy go, and it seems appropriate.  

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan." 

While I may not have the answers to my questions about "why" I have no regrets, and I would live no other way.  I would welcome Teddy all over again.  And I so hope I get to see him again healthy and full of life one day!

Some of you may recall that the dogs that come to us as strays are affectionately called " the lost boys."  So, I say God-speed to this lost boy, that I am so grateful found his way to us, and who I have lit a candle for to help him find his way to the Rainbow Bridge.