GoGo

Well, I did have some wonderful things to share but they will have to wait until next week,  It's truly been on of the best weeks of our life.  We've celebrated Quayd's ordination to the Priesthood, his graduation from High School and then his temple endowment.  Liza, Buddy and Aylabelle have been here.  We've had family photos taken.  We were honored to attend the wedding of one of my closest friends, Natalie's daughter. Today, Buddy's sister gets married. It's also been a sleepless week!  We've been up until 1 and 2 every night and back at it by 6 each morning.  So, we are exhausted.

After attending the temple ceremony and the bridal luncheon, Doug and I came home and found the house quiet.  We could hear Quayd downstairs in his shower and the girls were on a walk, so we thought we'd take a quick nap before getting ready for the wedding reception.  Just a moment after laid down across the bed, we heard the girls coming in from a walk.  I could tell that something was terribly wrong.  They were both SOBBING.  I jumped right up and ran to the front door to see what was happening.  ZJ had GOGO in her arms.  She said, "HE's dead!  He's dead!"  His eyes were open.  I said, "No he's alive.  What happened?"  She said, "He's dead!  He got hit by a car!  He's dead!"  She was hysterical.  HYSTERICAL.  I felt him and immediately, I knew that he was dead.  Doug felt him and he later told me that his skull had been crushed.  Quayd had just hopped out of the shower and heard all of the comotion. He came running upstairs.  Oh my word. The girls were, through their sobs, trying to tell us what had happened.

ZJ told us every detail  GoGo stays right beside us when he walks.  He never needs a leash. I always say, "It only takes once. Use a leash."  But, GoGo truly never leaves our side, so she often takes the leash and doesn't put him on it. Zulu wanders constantly and has to be on a leash all the time. This time, ZJ said GoGo would not stay near her.  He left her side, went into the street several times.  They were two blocks from home.  A car came to the corner to turn and stopped.  GoGo stepped out onto the street.  The driver didn't see GoGo. Zee stepped in front of the car to say "STOP!"   The guys was texting and looking down.  He wasn't paying attention and drove on, running over GoGo.  Zee started screaming and sobbing.   She picked him up.  He was bleeding.  The guy must have seen her in his rear view window, stopped and came back.

 Another woman in another car witnessed the incident.  She did not get out of her car but she stopped and started SCREAMING at ZJ... "You should have had him on a leash, you stupid F***in' B****!"  Seriously, WHO DOES THIS!?!?!?!?  WHO Screams at a kid who's holding their dying pet in their arms and sobbing their heart out!?!?!?!?  ZJ came unglued and told the woman to leave her alone!  She's been feeling terrible for about yelling at the woman.  The woman must have realized that she'd been an idiot and said, "I'll take you to a vet."  Zee told her, "I'm not getting in your car after what you just said to me."  The woman started saying, "You're making him suffer!!!"  Zee was hysterically sobbing.  She held GoGo in her arms and started running home with him.  He died in her arms. He would have never made it to a vet.  He didn't live even a minute.

When ZJ brought him into the house, she was sobbing, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Quayd came upstairs and realized what was happening.  He fell to the floor with the girls, all of them holding GoGo and sobbing.  They all had blood on them.  It was the worst thing I've ever seen.  They adore this dog.  Zee held him for an hour while Quayd & Doug dug a grave for him. 

They put him into a box, then a bag, said goodbye. Doug said a prayer, giving thanks for the joy and good times that GoGo had brought us.  Quayd buried him with ZJ kneeling by the grave. ZJ has barely gone a few minutes without crying.

 

ZULU sniffed and licked GoGo before he was placed in the box.  Zulu has just wandered around looking for him and keeps going to the little grave.  This morning, he was in my lap and I said, "Are you missing GoGo?"  He jumped off my lap and went under our bed where GoGo slept.  There are no words.  This is heartbreaking.  Quayd and Zee are just devastated.  They are both such animal people.  My heart has broken watching their hearts break.  Doug has commented on how surprised he is that he misses him so much.  It's the worst!  

There have been more tears in our home this past two days than I can ever remember from the kids.  But, there have also been more hugs and more loves.  Last night, Quayd gave ZJ a blessing of encouragement and peace.  (Again, his maturity level is amazing us all.)

Alan texted and commented that pets are a good way for us to learn life lessons, such as death.  It's so true.  As always, when we lose a loved one, it's so odd, how you can have a fleeting thought about them and then realize, "Oh, yeh. They are gone.  Really gone."   Time heals.  But, time takes time!

We've had friends visit, call and even bring gifts.  This afternoon, Zee has a room full of friends who came bearing a huge sack of treats. It was good to laughter in the den.  Thank heavens for friends.  After they left, Zee said that she was overwhelmed by how much that meant to her.  

This too shall pass, I realize.  But, it's been one rough day and a half.    Life is good... even on the worst days of your life.