Funran to the Max!

Snickers - R.I.P 1990-2006

16 years is a really long time for a dog to live. On the 31st of August, around 8:30, my dog Snickers passed away. It's strange to think that she is not here anymore. As she got older it just felt natural, I got older/she got older, no big deal. She's been in my life since I was in first grade, and thats about as far back as I can even remember, for the most part not even that. I think I took her for granted, I've been in Norman for 4 years now, and not "lived" at home for 5. That was 5 years I really didn't get to see her, and time I didn't get to spend with her while I've been in school. Before I left I spent time with her everyday. I'd sneak her up into my room to sleep with me at night, and let her hide with me in my room when it stormed outside. She hated thunder, or anything loud I guess. If it started storming and no one was around she would go hide under a bed, or in my parents room. Kinda makes me sad because she was "My Dog", my family loved her of course, but she's the reason I have Sofie now. I love dogs, I love them as a companion, they don't judge, and they are always there for you and her not being around made me adopt Sofie. There have been so many times in my younger life where I could just go to her as a shoulder to cry on, or to be with when I was upset or lonely. In a since, she was my best friend.

She died of old age, and I'm so happy for that. Many people lose their pets to cancer, or organ failure, or even a car accident. My mom told me how much she meant to her more than her other dogs, of which never lasted longer than 5 years. What I'm saying is, my family and I were very lucky to have her so long. We knew it was going to happen this week, so my dad dug a very deep grave in our back yard. It was to hard for us to justify giving her to the vet to be "disposed of" in some incinerator or whatever. Not that it's wrong to do it, but that it was just too hard for us. It's very illegal, and in most cases people don't have the opportunity to even do so. But our backyard is very big, and my dad spent the time to dig a large grave for her so it would be safe to do so. My mom sewed her up a type of casket, like a thick clothish envelope that she was placed in before burial. My dad said he is buying a statue to put over her grave, that rests behind our small Koi pond in our backyard. It's comforting to know she will always be there, and when I miss her to much I can go sit in the bench next to her resting place, and just think.

I don't want to get to sappy but writing this is almost too much, it's hard for me to let go. Just so people who didn't get to really know her, here are some pictures of me and her in her last month. I didnt get to be at home when she passed, but I said my goodbyes last month, because I knew it very well could be the last.

Snickers -

Posted by nick at September 3, 2006 07:53 PM