On Sunday we lost our family dog Sophie. We had two dogs Sophie and Evey, and on a normal day they are restricted from going onto the sidewalk and beyond. We have an underground electric fence and battery operated collars, that work rather effectively. Unfortunately we had our lawn airated and the line was punctured in several places. The lawn service said that they would fix the line but all we got was a game of phone tag. So Mike attempted to fix the line himself, but when the sprinklers would go on it would short out. our neighbor works for a cable company and has a tool that can tell you where the breaks in the line are. So he came over on Friday and they dug up all the areas in the line that were damaged. They weren't able to finish the job and We had church obligations on Saturday and Sunday (Stake Conference) so the fence would have to wait until Monday. Sadly that was a day to late for Sophie. After church we were outside in the backyard enjoying the weather and we didn't notice that she had ran around to the front of the house. She ran into the road to cross it, so she could greet a neighbor walking her dog and was hit by a car. Sophie managed to run back around the house to where we were. The neighbor that was walking her dog and the poor lady that hit her also came running to the backyard. They told us what had happened. Sophie was in shock so Mike put her in her dog bed so she would be comfortable. It was really sad to see her so distressed and scared. We couldn't see any obvious wounds but we knew that the car had gone right over her, so her injuries were internal. Our greatest concern was that she was suffering so Mike called our vet to see where we could take her on a Sunday. While we were waiting for the service to call back we gathered around her as a family to say a prayer. It was simple but heart felt. Mike asked the Lord to comfort her and if it was her time to leave her earthly home, that she could be released so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer. And when he finished his prayer she was gone. Losing a beloved pet this way was a sad thing for our family. But experience is the best teacher and sometimes we need to be taught how fragile life really is and to be reminded not to take the simple things for granted. Amongst the sadness and loss the greatest lesson our family learned was that the Lord really does answer prayers and he really is aware of even a sparrow in the tree.
We had Sophie for eight years, she was loved and will be missed.
Thanks for sharing- our pets become part of our family. Share fun stories about her- it will help. :)
ReplyDeleteSo sorry. Although John always seems so eager to offer to give Alli to any takers - I know he and the rest of us would be very sad if a similar situation arose. She indeed is a part of our family as well. I guess the saying, "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all" applies to our family pets quite well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post that made me cry. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeletePoor Sophie. She really was a sweet dog. I think another lesson is boundaries. Sometimes when we cross them, even once, the consequences are grave. I'm sorry for your family....and for Evey loosing her friend. We would be devastated to loose Mayzi even though I threaten her life on a daily basis :)
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry for your loss. It is so hard to lose a family member like that. My prayers are with you and Sophie.
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