Elvis has left the building.....

We said goodbye to our family pet this weekend, a tragic loss for all of us and certainly one that is difficult to explain or comprehend. While we all went out for an evening treat and a drive, Elvis, locked in the garage pushed through the screen door and escaped; he wandered to close to the road and was hit by oncoming traffic. Although we did not arrive home in time to accompany him during his last breath, he was not alone -- our neighbors son held him until he passed, then placed him on the edge of the woods and covered him with a blanket.

For some reason, Elvis dying hit me hard, I don't even know that I can explain why, I just like having a pet around, it is comforting for me -- even though he was a stubborn coon hound and sometimes naughty (his first Christmas with us, he ate a whole pan of fudge), but he was always gentle and kind. The kind of dog that you know will always be there to greet you at the door wagging his tail. Elvis spent most of his last 2 years with us curled up in a sunny spot, or in the kids beds cuddling. I like to think he was soaking up the love of our family and healing his heart after being in the Buffalo animal shelter prior to Saturday, October 29th, 2005. We all fell in love with him at the apple orchard that Saturday and by Monday night he was home with us.

Elvis did almost everything with us, last summer he even rode in the kayak on Serpent Lake, he was becoming a good running partner too. On Saturday, Elvis took his first ride in the back of a truck, the wind blowing in his face seemed liberating. The next day he paraded around the yard, checked out the fish the kids had caught, laid in the sun and slept on the dock, he even got a little piece of steak after dinner. Little did any of us know what was to come. Maybe if we did, we would have given him a proper farewell, full of big hugs and kisses.

Elvis and Morgan were inseparable, Morgan referred to Elvis as "his dog". The napped together, ate together, slept and played together. Truly, a man's best friend. The first words out of Morgan's mouth after the news was, next time I am getting a cat, they can't open doors, and this evening after dinner sang a tune to the effect..."My special dog is gone".