Saying Good Bye To An Old Friend

Today we had to say good bye to a long time family Friend, Elmo.

Elmo was our Lowcountry Lab. Part black lab, part who knows what? Elmo was 11 years old and was just miserable for the past month. He was in pain all the time. He had a hard time getting up, climbing the stairs and holding his urine. I took him to the vets last month. The vet gave me some medicine to try and said everything we are noticing is just old age. We have been talking to the kids everyday that this day was soon going to come.

It is amazing this day did not come sooner. As a puppy he missed us terribly when we left for work each morning. We would come home to a sea of white foam (from the couch and love seat) all over the living room floor! He would get into the trash can and eat what he could find and spread the rest all over the condo. We joked as we left the house each, "Did you Elmo proof the condo?"

A few years ago, when I was attending evening classes, I prepared a 9 x 13 pan of chicken breasts and rice for Marc and the kids. The pan was hot from the oven and I did not want to put it right in the fridge from the hot oven. So I covered it with foil and pushed it to the back of the stove top. The family would be home in 15 minutes to eat.
When I returned from class, i asked Marc if they ate all the dinner. "Sure honey it was good. Sonya made us Pork chops."
"Pork Chops? Sonya?" I said. "But I made chicken and rice?"
Upon some investigation of the kitchen, i found that glass 9 x 13 pan licked clean and pushed under the microwave cart!

We often said if it would not have been for Contessa he would have been long gone.

We are comforted knowing he is in doggie heaven playing with Muddy.