Monday, July 19, 2010

Broken Hearts



With broken hearts, we need to tell you that our wonderful, loving, loyal, dog Andy, passed away on Saturday morning. He had suddenly become very ill on the Wednesday before we left Sturgis. We had to leave him in the animal hospital overnight and I was sure I'd never see Andy alive again. I asked the Lord to allow Andy to live so that he wouldn't die alone in a cage. He was given IV fluids and antibiotics and we were allowed to pick him up the next day.

When we brought Andy into the hospital, he had no interest in the cat on the counter. We knew then, that Andy was in big trouble. When we picked him up the next day, he greeted us with enthusiasm, said hello to the cat, and seemed to be well on his way to recovery. We were told that Andy had a bacterial infection, his white blood cells being 3 times higher than the high normal. He was sent home with antibiotics that he was given daily. He seemed to get healthier and stronger everyday. On Friday, he seemed sluggish and didn't have an appetite. This wasn't unusual for Andy. He was 10 years old and was accustomed to sleeping all day and we thought maybe we pushed him too hard by taking him up in the mountains after being so ill. So we just let him rest on Friday.
Andy was in rough shape on Saturday morning. As we prepared to bring him to the vet, both of us were praying that the Lord would allow Andy die at home if he were going to die anyway. As I was busy getting ready to leave, I resorted to begging the Lord to take Andy before we had a chance to go anywhere. I didn't want him to die on the floor of the vet's office, on a cold table, or alone in a cage, and I told the Lord I didn't want to have to make the decision of whether to put him down, and asked the Lord to PLEASE, keep that decision out of our hands.

Andy passed away quietly and peacefully on his bed at home as Trevor was preparing the car for him. The Lord answered our prayers just minutes before we were about to leave. I will be eternally grateful to the Lord for His great kindness and mercy toward us and our dog. Though we grieve for the loss of our dear friend and companion, we are in awe at how good and merciful the Lord is to us. Our thankfulness and praise to Him seems so insignificant compared to His great goodness.

It was great having Andy share this experience of the great adventure with us. He got to visit family members he loves, swim in lakes, check out prairie dogs, donkeys, and buffalo, take in the breathtaking views from the mountains, drink from mountain streams and lakes, and visit with the mountain goats.
We've taken a couple of day trips without him now, and have really felt the pain of being without him. Our beloved dog will surely be missed. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Love, Trevor and Roni

8 comments:

  1. I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet baby. What a handsome boy! Bless his heart :-)
    Catherine

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  2. Roni and Trevor,
    I am so sad for you guys, but I see the Lord's hand and answer to your heart's prayer.
    Andy was a sweeheart. Just reading this has me all choked up. :(

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  3. I am so sorry for your loss. The pictures of Andy are heartwarming to know that he spent his last days enjoying the time with you guys and nature. I will say a prayer for you and Andy. take care.

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  4. You said it all when you wrote that Andy got to enjoy your road adventures with you. He got in a lot of living these past few months that will leave you with great memories.
    Blessings to you both.
    Love, Kirst

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  5. Roni, I just got a chance to read this. I am so sorry for your loss and just loved the pictures of Andy. I hope you are doing well, I think about you all of the time. Blessings and Hugs,
    Elaine

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  6. Thank you all for the kind words posted here, your emails, instant messages and phone calls. We really appreciate the love and support from friends, family and co-workers.
    A number of people have asked me how to post a comment on this site. I couldn't tell ya, except I do have a gmail account so when I post, I select "google account" in the select profile box, and that works for me.So maybe if you had a gmail account it would work, but can't say for sure. Do any of the other posters here know a different way?
    Thanks again for your love and support. We think about you all often and hope that all is well with you and your families.
    Much love,Trevor and Roni

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  7. So sorry to read of the loss of your friend. Just know he is in a better place & now he can watch you travel all over the place & keep you safe while you do.

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