Rest in Peace, Sweet King

We lost our first "first born" today. Jason and I honestly can't remember our life without him, he's been with us through so much. We bought our first home, and he moved in with us that exciting first day. He made trips back and forth from our apartment, helping in his own way...keeping our spirits up. He was so darn cute. He was our baby, always has been. Always will be. He was with me when Jason was away at the academy, he traveled all the way down to Arizona with me and my sister and Rory in a small Saturn. He's moved into two houses with us here in Arizona. He was there when Jackson entered his home for the first time. And now he is gone. He died today, at six and a half years old.

King was an energetic, happy, loving and quite obnoxious dog:). He was VERY smart and unbelievably mischievous. He was such a trouble maker! King loved to cuddle and he laid with his favorite blanket every night. He will be cremated with his blanket - it was his baby blanket, he has had it since he was a puppy because he can get cold at night and loves to cuddle under it. It was one of Jason's baby blankets. King was protective, and I always felt safe with him in the house. King loved walks, hikes on the mountain, playing with other dogs, and eating anything we'd give him! Most of all, he loved his people. And boy did we love him.

Our precious boy got very sick this past week. Treatment to just get him out of the danger zone would have required multiple blood transfusions. After that, it is likely he would have had an ongoing health issue that would require extensive treatment. Without these transfusions, he would have died within days. We just couldn't do it. The hard part about having a pet that goes in this way is that you know you had to make that decision, you had to tell the doctor to let him die, to take his life. And the guilt is indescribable.

We made the difficult decision to put King down today. We were there with him, loving him, as he took his final breaths. It was so unexpected. He had diarrhea, we took him in to see the vet, and within a week, he is gone. We knew we would have to face this decision one day with him, we just can't believe it happened this soon. We are honestly in shock. And we are so very sad. Every place in this house is a reminder - he had a bed in every room for goodness sake! His presence was SO large and full of life that his absence feels just as large - and empty.

I could go on and on about our first "child." Let me just tell you that, although he sure could be difficult, we loved him so very much. And everyone who met him couldn't help but also love him. He will be immensely missed. Rest in peace, our sweet boy.

Our first house with our first "child"

King and his favorite blanket

He could be such a ham!