All Dogs Go to Heaven

If Sunday was a bad day in the Fish House, today topped it off. We had to make a difficult decision with our vet to let go of our sweet Amos. His pre-existing condition of arthritis prevented him from being resilient to the accident. He was unable to move or get up on his own. Not only was he physically unable to live a normal life, but his heart was breaking too as he wasn't able to walk around, run to the door, walk into the rooms with us. We could tell that his condition was just as heart-breaking to him as it was to us.

The day has been filled with constant tears as everything in our home has reminded us of his presence in our family. His dog food bowl, his bed, his collar, the black hairballs that collect in the corners, his favorite spots to sleep, and more. I know some readers might not have ever had a connection with a pet as a family member, and so you might be reading and not relating to our sorrow or maybe even find it silly. He has been a family member to us for 13 1/2 years and honestly it's been much harder coping with his passing than I ever thought.

I am posting some old photos of Amos, mostly for memories sake for my family. I was looking through old photos that I hadn't permanently scrapbooked and came across these to scan.

Our little family of three soon after we got Amos in January 1997. Goodness sakes - we were such kids ourselves.

My 2 favorite men - pre-children of course.

We made the decision to take Amos with us, shipped as cargo, half way around the world to Singapore in 2000. We just couldn't imagine living there without him. Although his 1 month quarantine was rough on both him and us, we never regretted taking him. He was Caleb's very best friend.I had always said (pre-dog) that I didn't want any indoor pets and IF we had to have one, it would NOT get on the furniture. Somehow Tim and I ended up sleeping in a double bed with a 70 lb. dog with us. See, even the most calloused hearts can soften.
He was a great napping buddy.

This was our 2nd Christmas card photo after one year of marriage with our new little boy.

Then soon thereafter came another little bambino. Now this photo shoot was a bit tricky. It was in the days before digital cameras and I think I used up an entire 24 exposure just trying to get a decent photo of Santa's elf and reindeer. See? I told you Amos was a good boy. Who else would endure this kind of torture?
Caleb told me that he took an identical photo last month of Josiah with Amos just like this one. Maybe I'll have to post it later.
This photo is from the very night that we got Amos. We surprised our parents and showed up at their houses with our newest addition. He shook and cried almost the entire time. I think he only stayed this small for one week.
In Singapore, he was invited with Tim to show Mrs. Claudia's classroom (2nd grade, I believe) all of his tricks that he could do. Large dogs were a rare thing in Singapore and I think it was treat for the kids to see him. I used to walk the city streets with Amos on a leash, holding baby AB with Caleb toddling next to me. Grown men would see me from a distance and in fear, cross the street to walk on the opposite side from me because they were scared to death of our large, black teddy bear. Many times grown adults would decide to wait for another elevator when they saw Amos in the elevator of our apartment. It used to crack us up.
Amos was the best dog a family could have ever wanted - even if he did go for a swim in our pond on days that I cleaned the house. What I wouldn't do now to wipe his muddy paws and dry his fish-smelling coat again. He will be sorely missed. The kids asked me today if Amos was in heaven with Jesus. I told them that Granddaddy sent me an email this morning and reminded me of the verse about in heaven the lion will be with the lamb. He said that if Jesus has lions lying with lambs in heaven, he likes to think that our pets will be there too. I like that response and will cling to it, no matter how theologically incorrectl it may be.