Goodbye Old Lady

Tonight we said goodbye to my old lady Ramona. It has been a tearful month and day at the H.C. Quimby Brew Company. It was a really hard decision to make, but we worked with a wonderful vet at Angell Memorial who guided us through our decision making process. As many of you know, her health has been deteriorating for the better part of a year. It was important to us that we made the decision at the right time and wanted to remember her as a happy dog- which she was to the last day. She got bacon and a run in the park with a tennis ball.

Most of the people in my life who know me have known Ramona. She has been with me since she was 8 weeks old and in a couple of weeks she would have been 14 years old. She has been my constant companion throughout all these years and as I joke my longest relationship with a lady. She was loyal, happy, crazy, and co-dependent. She saw me through 5 major relationships, the death of my father and graduate school. If you knew her she probably has either licked you, barked at you, head butted you, slept on the bed with you, or farted by you. She was a sweet dog who was never as happy as when she was:

Chasing tennis balls

Swimming

Rolling in the snow

Cuddling on the bed

or playing with her friends:

Stella Louise, one of her best dog park pals

Finn, who was in love with her

Her roommate Izzy, who I still miss to this day

Bear (or as I like to call her, Bacon)

Miggs and Rosie, the best Cockers ever

and of course Henry, who I think will miss her too

I really got lucky with Ramona, she was a great dog who loved being around people, especially babies, whose heads she especially liked to lick.

Even though saying goodbye is really hard and we never think about these things when we get pets, the sadness is worth the unconditional love you always receive and the great stories you get to tell about them. One of my favorites is when we were walking with a bunch of our friends at Peter's Hill, it was pitch black. We decided it was a good idea to put those flashing red bike lights on the dog's collars to keep track of them. Well, my roommate Gayle's dog Stutz came back to the group missing his light. About 5-10 minutes later we saw this bouncing red light coming over the hill and were like, "What the hell is that?" As it got closer we saw that Ramona picked up the light and brought it back to us. It was one of her best true Lab moments.

I want to thank all my friends and family for all the support they have shown Mel and I these last couple of weeks. We really appreciate knowing that you understand how hard it is to say goodbye to a beloved pet. You all are the best. I will miss my girl, but I know it was the right time and that she in a better place probably chasing an unending supply of felt covered green spheres in and out of the water.

Goodbye my beautiful lab, you were the best, and on this Thanksgiving Eve, I am most thankful you were part of my life the last 14 years.