Deacon

We had a difficult week last week. After 15 years of loving on Deacon, we decided it was time to put him down.

His hips have been bad for a while and with all the rain, he was in pain just to get up and go to the bathroom. Deacon wasn't even going outside and a few times we found him stuck to where he couldn't get up without help. We didn't want him to get stuck while we weren't home to help him. Although Matt and I cried throughout the whole process, Deacon was content to be held and I was so grateful for that. If we had waited longer, it might have gotten to the point where he didn't even want to be touched and that would have been so much worse. We have missed his footsteps this week and his help with dinner table crumbs.

Deacon's fur was so soft, floppy ears that were easy to rub, his personality never changed. I can't recommend beagles enough for their sweetness with kids. I never had to worry about Deacon with the kids, although I worried quite a bit that the kids would hurt him.

Grayson was about 5 when Deacon stopped playing like a puppy so the kids don't remember him as anything other than an old dog.

They are anxious for a puppy. I think Matt and I will wait a bit. It will be hard to replace him. He was our first baby, my protector when Matt was gone for the summers in NC, and very loyal.

I feel badly that my attempt at giving him a playmate didn't work out. Abbey just seemed to annoy him and he didn't seem all that sad when she left.

In the end he had cataracts in both eyes, was mostly deaf and had lost much of his ability to smell. He also knew that he was loved. 

Matt wrote this after we said goodbye:

Saying goodbye to one of my best and loyal friends. Deacon was our first kid. He went everywhere with us. A beautiful dog now 15 years old, hips shot, can't hear, can't see, but still so hard to say goodbye. I can't adequately capture in words what my children mean to me. I like to think God blessed us with Deacon to prepare me for that. 

I've never had to say goodbye to a dog. Always wondered why it was such a big deal to those who had. It's a dog, right? The same one that you now have to clean up after. Now, I know what all the fuss is about.

Deacon lived a great life. Saw us from newlyweds to old parents of four, from 20s, 30s, now to 40. A constant, solidifying presence. We love him and will miss him.