When Hannah first came home around 14 years ago, I remember thinking to myself “One day this girl will break my heart.” I never really thought that of another pet, to know that you will probably outlive them, and until about a year ago I never really thought about what it would be like to have to say goodbye or whether I would know when it was time.
Well, as the years crept up on her and she was slowed by the periodic seizure and failing hips, without fail she still knew that when the leash came out it was time to go for a walk and with the jingle of the car keys it was road trip time. Even as the walks became slower and shorter and she needed the occasional boost into the car, she was always ready to go. And during those times when I needed her, with the wag of her tail or a wet nudge from her nose she always seemed to know that right words to say and they always came at the right time.
So how do you know when it’s time? You just do, and with a good cry into her soft coat, a final kiss on her nose, and her long time stuffed companion Lionel by her side, I watched her drift into a final peaceful sleep.
There have never been more truthful lessons to be learned from dogs than to seize the moment and to appreciate our friends and to occasionally nudge your way under someone's hand for a nice scratch behind the ears.
Goodbye Hannah Barbera, good girl.
