Yesterday the Dog Police came and took Roxey away. Matt had him come because the dog figuared out how to get out of her kennel, knows how to get in the house from the garage and can get out of the yard without a fight even though we have locked fences. Did you know that Vinyl is very easy to move to squeeze your body through?
When Jim ( the cop,) came he had a leash and said he might have to have me help him get her in the carrier. I told him (and Matt, on the phone,) I wasn't sure if I could since I was really resigned but upset about the whole thing. Anyway, we couldn't get the gate open since it is locked (but the dumb dog could,) and so I lead her out of the kennel and into the house, out of the house, let her sniff the carrier and then said "Up, Roxey," and she got right into the carrier. Jim told Matt later, that he has never had a dog walk right into the carrier before. Which really broke my heart when Matt told me that. Jim brought Roxey to a place that adopts animals out, because Santa Clara is a no kill kennel and they usually don't take big dogs and they usually don't have drop offs that are turned over willingly, but they probably did it as a favor to us, since I have contacted them before about having Roxey adopted.
The biggest reason we had to get rid of her was that we were afraid that she was going to break a leg because she kept getting her leg caught in the kennel rails while climbing out and we would save her when we were home, but we were afraid that she would try it while we weren't home and then she would break a leg really bad. She has almost been hit by a car 5 times in the last month (two of those times in front of me,) and I couldn't take that kind of emotional turmoil. I have been afraid to leave the house in the chance that she has gotten out and is laying dead in the road, or is stuck in her kennel, bleeding (like one day where she cut her leg open- not too bad but enough to be a sign of things to come.)
As a prominent figure in the community it is not really a great thing to have YOUR dog wandering the neighborhood without some backlash. The neighbors knew who to call when they saw Roxey out wandering and it just had become the final straw the last time she got out while Matt was home!
We are going to miss Roxey- she really is a great dog. She is loving, listens when you talk to her, usually obeys (expect when she really wanted out,) and has the sweetest face! But, I was also not going to have her live in the house just so that I wasn't afraid to leave the house.
Kyler has been strong about the dog leaving,since he doesn't like big dogs, but wants a beagle instead, (which we are not getting!) Devin has promised himself that he isn't going to cry (even though I said it was okay if he did,because she really was his dog,) and Mckenna (and I for that matter,) cried like babies! Matt and I had to have a really long talk with Mckenna about why Roxey had to go, but she still is really emotional about it, which is understandable.
2 comments:
A Dog becomes a member of the family, and yet, is not. Having many dogs in my life, both as a kid and an adult, it never got easier to say 'Goodbye' when that time came, and it always did. We all know people who treat their dogs as kids, or companions, and for the right kind of person, in the appropriate circumstance, it's right. In a family, with kids, busy schedules, time constraints, community responsibilities, a dog as loving and beautiful, and loved as yours was, was also, as you so aptly described, a worry, a concern, another trepidation and cloud to many of the family activities, and, ultimately, to move to another home, hopefully more conducive to it's habits. And yet....
Sorry it's been hard on your family, but hey at least I can visit you more often now... yea!
Post a Comment