God has given me ample opportunity to feature my fur babies on this blog and has creatively given me some great life lessons through my precious girls.
While Winnie has never been the attention-demanding “star” that Daisy and Maisy were/are, her life has led to a few spotlight moments here in cyberspace. Here are the blogs that featured this sweet girl:
You may have noticed the last two were fairly recent – ones that looked at some of the prayer lessons I learned when Winnie was so sick with kidney failure. Mixed into those later posts was a ton of uncertainty about what Winnie’s future looked like.
Now I know. Sadly, this post is, in part, to let you know that I had to say good-bye to my sweet girl this past Sunday afternoon. Whatever angst I had about what to pray in this circumstance is now gone, replaced by a deep grief that only fellow dog-lovers can truly understand.
Winnie was sweetness personified. To use a double negative, no one didn’t love Winnie. I didn’t make the decision to end her life lightly. I grieved over that, sought friends’ advice, and even texted my vet for a professional opinion. The jury was pretty clear. It was time.
I always want this blog to be much more than just a diary of my life’s lessons and struggles. I want you to see God’s character displayed and his promises fulfilled. I want to simply be a conduit for deeper revelations.
So, what do I have to share from the death of my sweet Winnie girl?
- Her death, just like any human death, or any loss for that matter, is the direct result of this fallen world. It is right that we should grieve that which Jesus also grieved. Let the tears justifiably flow.
- Because God gave Man dominion over the animals back in the Garden, it is our job to make the very best decisions we can for their precious lives. As I whispered in her ear before those final moments, “This is the last act of love I can do for you, beloved girl.”
- I can think of no purer earthly example of unconditional love running both directions than that of me and my dogs. No amount of misbehaving on their part, or impatience on mine could diminish the love we had between us.
- Whether in good times or hard times, my posture before God must be one of gratitude. I’m grateful for the 4 ¾ years I was blessed with this gift from God. For the lessons she taught me. I’m grateful for the friends who have rallied around me as I grieve this loss. For those who have cried with me. For my vet who graciously met me at his clinic on a Sunday afternoon. And also cried with me.
- I fully expect to see my pets again. And not just because that’s what I’m hoping for. Or because, as we often like to say, “If it takes our pets being in heaven to make us happy, then God will have them there.” No, that superimposes our will over God’s. His plans for us to spend eternity in his presence are already perfect. God called his creation of animals “good” in Genesis and in Romans 8, it tells us that all creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth, as it looks forward to Christ’s return.
Thank you for letting me grieve this loss with you. There will be no “replacement” Winnie. I knew I would eventually start downsizing the number of pets I have. So I’ll be content with crazy Maisy and Mr. Cool – Max the cat. For any of you who have met Maisy, you know she is more than enough!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17
What a loss. Glad you have Maisy and Max, but that won’t lessen your love for Winnie on Dog (God) heaven. My sympathies & prayers
Thank you, Carol, for your kind words of comfort. Ever since I was a little girl, I connected with you because of our shared love of animals. We were destined to love these sweet creatures for a lifetime. At least for theirs. Hugs!