Missing Stitch on his birthday

Toward the end of February our family had to make an incredibly difficult decision. It was time to say good-bye to our beloved beagle, Stitch.

We’d had Stitch since he was only five weeks old. Come February he was not doing well at all, with many medical issues. It was difficult for him to get around and we knew he was in a lot of pain. As much as I wanted to avoid it and deny it, it was time.

This was a day I was dreading since we got him, so I won’t sugar coat how difficult it was. I stayed with him in the room until the sedative finally kicked in. “Finally” is an accurate word because the fat baby took THREE different shots before he finally fell asleep. But then I cried like a baby on the way home.

We didn’t tell the kids until a few weeks later. The day after it happened we left Chicago for a week, so as far as they knew he was at the doctor. After we got back I got both kids in my lap and showed them a plaster cast of Stitch’s footprint that the vet gave us. Jaxon didn’t really understand. Baylee broke down pretty bad. Really bad actually. So I just held her and we cried together. A few hours later when I came into the living room she was sitting in a chair by herself. She had gotten the footprint down and was holding it in her lap. “I miss him daddy.”

And though it’s been a few months I miss him still too. Today would have been his 13th birthday. Baylee and I sat down and flipped through some old pictures together and talked about what a great dog he was. He was a big, important part of our family — the original Moss kid, so we’re very grateful for the time we did have. We’ll have another dog someday, but no one will be able to replace the original.

Thankful for a great pet and all the memories.

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Picture from the day we got Stitch[/caption]