We recently suffered a canine loss on our family. My son's dog Brownie was killed on the highway at the end of June. It was the greatest tragedy my 9-year-old had ever experienced because of the close relationship he had with her. They were each other's everything. They played together, ate together, sang together, watched TV together, went camping together, and slept together for 6 years. They were only apart when he went to school or went to visit his father for an afternoon. He even took her shopping with him, and not just at pet stores. They really were two of a kind. She was his best friend, baby, and confidant all rolled into one.
And then that Sunday in June hit. It was the last Sunday of the month, and it dawned bright and sunny. But, because it was Sunday, most of us weren't awake. Unbeknownst to us, a series of unrelated events were about to occur that would lead directly to Brownie's death. My youngest son was the only one awake, and the dog had to go out. Instead of waking my oldest son, as he had always done, he decided to let his brother's dog out into the dog run. What he didn't know was that the fence was down and Tristan had been taking the dog out the front. Tristan would sit on the deck and wait for her, never taking his eyes off her wiggling form.
Rowan, unfortunately, didn't know that. He put the dog in the dog run like a good brother would do. After that we have to piece together what happened from the bits and pieces of information we have gathered. As near as we can tell, Brownie was in the yard for 3 hours before she saw a neighbor jogging down the street. There are no sidewalks where we live, so the shoulder is where we jog. Now Brownie, being naturally social, decided to go with said neighbor. The neighbor saw her and welcomed the company. But it only lasted a moment because people speed on our road. By a lot.
They were jogging together when a car slowed behind them. I'd slow down too if there was a jogger and a little dog on the side of the road. The car behind, however, didn't share the sentiment. It sped up, whipped around the first car, pulled over too far, got caught on the soft shoulder, and hit Brownie and nearly hit the neighbor. Everyone but the speeding idiot stopped, which is obviously how we found out.
So now I'm faced with telling a 9-year-old his dog has passed away. He didn't scream or yell, he just curled up and cried silently into his hands. It broke my heart. I'd lost my own dog 5 years earlier, so I knew something of what he was going through, and I knew there was nothing I could do for him. I couldn't fix it, and that's hard for a mother to accept.
But accept it I had to, because there was nothing else I could do. We did rescue Brownie's collar, which Tristan wore as a bracelet for a few days. Then he asked me to buy a stuffed toy that looked like Brownie. Tiny black poodle toy. Maybe a few years ago this would have been a tall order, but these days the Internet solves many a problem. A stuffed black poodle arrived 3 days later (because when your kid is crying, you pay for faster shipping). He put the collar on the toy and has been carrying it around ever since.
A month has passed since his little dog was killed and he still talks about her every day. She was such a big part of his live that he'll probably talk about her for years, even decades. And that's all right, because she was his baby. His first baby, and he grieved for her as much as anyone has ever grieved for a loved one. There will be other dogs, but Brownie will forever hold that special place in his heart. And I wouldn't change that for the world.
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