Toby is Gone

Our dear friend and companion, Toby has been gone for several months. He only made it a few days before Easter. The tears of my wife and mine as well have subsided. Our memories are sweet of this blessing from God.

Toby's bone cancer spread quickly and became very painful for him. We loved him too much to let him suffer needlessly. Rose Ann and I stayed with Toby has the vet gave him "the shot". We pet him while he pay on his side, and we continued petting him with all the love we had for him as he peacefully passed from this life into eternity.

We loved this dog so much, I could not bear the tough of have him cremated. We decided to have hm buried in a local pet cemetery. We held a short good bye with a few close friends and said our final farewell as his casket was covered.

We know where is body is, and we have gone to cry and remember. We also know that only his body is buried there. Everything that made Toby, Toby, has returned to God. Yes we fully believe that there are animals in heaven. Nowhere does the Bible say they are not there.

I pray several things. First that someday I will see him healthy again as I enter eternity. That he greets me as I enter my eternal life and says he has been waiting for me and wants to play. Second, that I can leave this world as peaceful and surrounded by those who love me.

Rose Ann and I missed the presence of a dog in the house so much we both agreed we needed to look for another dog. No dog can or will replace Toby, but we can love once again and do our best to provide a good home for a needy dog. It took two months but we found Ike, a Golden Retriever at Dirks Fund Golden Retriever Rescue. Ike is around 4 years old, was abused and sick, but a gentle personality showed through.

We have had Ike for a bit over a month, and he is healthier and still a gentle little boy. We are taking him through obedience training for bonding and safety and he is doing well. He definately has some issues with storms, but we will work through those.

The Start of a Good-Bye

I can hardly believe that I haven't posted a single thing since last May. Believe it or not, I did ride my bicycle, but the 400K (252 miles) was my longest ride for 2010. Life happened, I changed jobs and had little time for such simple pleasures like cycling.

I wish life would settle down a bit, but life just happens. My wife and I learned about two weeks ago that our beloved Golden Retriever, Toby, who is 11 years old, has bone cancer. Toby developed a nasty limp, which we thought was related to foot surgery back near Christmas. Our vet took x-rays and gave us grave news instead. Bone cancer is very painful, and spreads quickly. At 11 years of age, we don't have good long term options. Toby may have a few months left, and Rose Ann and I have already been shedding tears for this precious gift from God.

Toby is comfortable but on strong pain killers each day. His smile and loving spirit are still with us. He wants to play, chase squirrels and snuggle up in our laps. A 90 pound lap dog is one of the joys of my life.

We both feel a great loss already. I can only imagine how difficult it will be when we have our final farewell and Toby is gone. We have decided to bury Toby in a pet cemetery not too far from home. I just could not think of abandoning him at the vets office when he is gone. I know we do this more for us than for him. It will be a place we can go and visit and talk until the pain passes. Eventually it will be a place to go and remember what a great companion he was. it will always be a place to honor our love for him.

We will only be able to bury his body. His spirit, everything that makes him the wonderful dog he is can not be buried. Toby was, is and will always be a precious gift from God. I pray that the joyous and loving personality that is Toby will live on and one day, when my wife and I pass from this life into the next, Toby will be waiting there with his tail wagging as he runs up to greet us.