The Heartbreaking Goodbye To The Family Furbaby.

Someone told me, when you bring home a pet, you bring home a tragedy. it's heartbreaking every time you have to say goodbye to them but I wouldn't trade the time with a pet, for anything.

Last Friday night , we had to say goodbye to one of our dogs, We had two in the family but Romo was mine. Our boys wanted one more puppy while they were still in the house. The family favorite breed in the house, is the Sheltie, so we began the search for a puppy and found the perfect one. He was born on a Super Bowl Sunday and the boys wanted to name him "Romo."  Yes, for Tony Romo. We are a Dallas Cowboys family.

It was a snowy day in May, when Romo came home with us. There was a sister dog in the house, and a cat. That was 9 years ago. Since the boys have finished high school, and moved on, the three pets had to juggle for position in the house and Romo became my dog.

Romo was the first dog, we had in the digital era. He became part of my act on the radio. He picked winners for football games, and was a regular visitor to the station. Romo was very photogenic, and I loaded up my Facebook with pictures of him. I'm already missing our trips to Sonic's Happy Hour. The carhops got used to seeing him and always had a treat in their pocket for him.

About three months ago during an exam, Romo's doctor noticed he had a murmur in his heart. Several tests revealed, Romo had "Right Side Chronic Heart Failure." The vet put him on meds, and he did great on them. Last Friday, I came home to a dog that wasn't feeling well. A trip to the Small Animal Emergency Clinic, confirmed our worst fears. We all knew Romo was on borrowed time; we just thought there would be more it. By 10:30 that night, he was gone and off to the rainbow bridge.

I'm still not use to it, I can see him all over the house, this morning, I could swear I heard him. His sister dog and cat, know something has happened to Romo, and they still look for him. Bedtime, is my time with our pets, as I put all where they go for the night. Not seeing Romo, looking for his nightly treat, is just brutal. There are times, I forget, just for a second, and get reminded again.

We treat our pets as part of the family and become accustomed to what they add to the rhythm of the house. I miss Romo terribly. Afternoons are hard, because he's not there to greet me or go to Sonic with me. . Mornings are hard, because he's not waiting at the door, to go out, when I get wake up. Nights are hard, because he's not staring at me to be fed or hopping up into my chair with me.Bedtimes are hard, because he's not there to say goodnight to.

Our house is so quiet now. The rhythm is all off and wrong. Romo took up a large space in our lives. He was the happiest dog, we've ever known, and had the best smile. He loved everyone he met, never offered to bite the vet, and reached a peace treaty with the cat, and he NEVER barked in the house. Never.

Some time will go by and we'll bring a puppy into our house again. The short time God gives you to spend with them, is worth every second. That's the trade-off and I understand that. It doesn't make it easier, but the love of a dog, is just too good, to not go through it all again.