My dog went to Heaven; he went there today.
I’m not quite sure how, but he knew the way.
Every day it was harder to run and to climb,
And I guess in his heart, he knew it was time.
My mom said it was best; he was older and aching
But I loved him so much that I think my heart’s breaking.
He was not just my pet, he was also my friend.
We’d play ball and we’d swim and sometimes just pretend
We were dinosaurs, giants, heroes and more.
We would howl and bellow and make-believe roar, and
When it was bed time, he’d cuddle up tight
And be blanket and pillow all through the night.
When we woke up, we would run down the stairs
Without any worries, without any cares.
But this morning was different, and he couldn’t race.
Something was wrong, I could tell by his face.
His usual smile was cloudy and sad
And he couldn’t get up, so I ran to get Dad.
We went to the vet, but his pain was too deep
So she gave me his collar, and then put him to sleep.
She said that it’s best for a pet who’s in pain
That we help end his hurting; she called it “humane.”
And we loved him so much that we did our parts
Even though it has left a big hole in our hearts.
My mom doesn’t hide it; she’s crying too.
She says that sometimes, that’s all you can do.
She says she believes that as time goes by
It won’t hurt so much and we won’t need to cry.
But right now I’m sad and I wish he were here
To jump up and kiss away every tear,
To huddle and cuddle and run off with my shoe,
And wag his tail in my face like he used to do.
I wish I could hold him and give him his bone
And tell him how much I want him to come home
But now that he’s gone, I guess I can see
That the best thing for my dog was setting him free.
My parents said maybe we’ll get a new pet
And I told them, okay, but I’m not ready yet.
For now, I think I just want to be sad
And to think about all the good times that we had.
I think I will find all the pictures we took
And put them together into a book.
That way, they’ll all be in the same place
For times when I just want to remember his face.
My Decker’s in Heaven, where he’ll romp, run and play
And be happy and healthy every day.
So I guess I’ll be glad he was here for awhile
To love me and lick me and just make me smile.
Dear Reader: This reminds me of my own dog, Max, now at the very end of his life. Have you recently lost your pet? Please share your stories with us.