The Rainbow Bridge

I read somewhere not long ago that a dog owner would have a few thousand great days with only one bad one. That bad day would be when your beloved dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I knew that bad day was coming for me and on the 8th of March, 2018 it happened. I had to have Molly put to sleep. I had wrestled with the decision for a couple of weeks and I looked for any kind of a sign that she was going to pull thru. She was almost 16 and her eyesight and hearing were just about gone, and arthritis made it difficult for her to take walks and sometimes even stand up. She also had what I have heard referred to as "Doggie Dementia." Molly would walk into a corner of the room and just stand there. I don't think she knew where she was. I was looking for a canine Fountain of Youth and it just wasn't there.

I made the decision on Sunday and I decided that Thursday was going to be the day. Making that decision did not make it any easier. I was going to do it on a Tuesday but when Tuesday afternoon came, Molly had a good day that day and I could not bring myself to do it. I chickened out. Molly bit me on Wednesday morning almost down to the bone on my left hand. She had gotten her leg tangled up in her blanket and while I was trying to free her leg, she lunged and caught me. She did not recognize who I was. I knew right then that Thursday was the day.

Since this was her last few days, I made sure she got as many treats as she would eat and I normally did not give her can dog food but she got plenty of that as well. Molly still had a healthy appetite. I had to hold her up so she could eat, but by God, she ate. I also gave Molly as much love and as much petting as she could handle.

Thursday morning dawned clear and cool with a little bit of a breeze. Molly always enjoyed the cold weather so I thought this was a good sign. I came home from work early and luckily the people I work closest with at my job showed great compassion for me and Molly. I wanted to spend her last few hours with her and I could not help but break down a few times as I was sitting in my kitchen. It is a rare occasion that I did not want to leave work early but this was one of those times. My vacation was also set to begin tomorrow and at that point, I didn't care if my vacation started or not.

A good friend of mine, Robin, was going to go with me to the Vet's office. Robin had gotten to know Molly pretty well over the past year and I think Molly appreciated that. Robin drives an SUV with of a hatchback so we loaded her in there and put her blanket in there with her. I had given Molly a muscle relaxer to help her out some (I didn't want to get bit again) but Molly wasn't a fan of the hatchback, and tried getting out really quickly. I closed my head in the hatchback so our last trip together was not off to a good start.

The tears really started flowing from me when we arrived and I was unashamed in doing so. Molly was my best friend for almost 16 years. We had to sit in the waiting room for several minutes and that only increased my anxiety. They finally called us back and I picked Molly up and took her in there while Robin carried her blanket.

The Vet came in and talked to us for a few minutes and I cannot thank him enough for the kindness and compassion he showed me, Robin, and Molly during these final few minutes. My family has had an association with this Vet for about 40 years and I cannot say enough good things about him and his staff. He implored us to remember all of the good times we had with Molly and to try not to think of the way she was now. He took such good care of her even after Molly had left this world. Mine and Robin's hands were resting on Molly's side as she took her last breath and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I spent a few minutes alone with her before I left the Vet's office to say my final good-bye. I also cannot thank my friend Robin enough for going with me because I truly needed the support.