Geeky Died Today

I knew last night would be my last with my dog Geeky. Since he lost the ability to walk a couple of days ago, I had to pick him up off his dog bed and was surprised again at how light he had become. Down from his prime of sixty pounds to a feathery forty. He didn't struggle as I carried him across the room to my bed. I placed him in his space on his side of the bed, put a puppy training pad under him so his leaking bladder didn't soak into the bedding, and to keep him as dry as possible, and we went to bed for the last time together. A friend called this morning and woke us up. She called to ask if Geeky survived the night, and at the sound of his name being said by me to someone else, he lifted his head, looked at me and wagged his tail. And in that moment I knew I had to call the House Call Vet to let Geeky go. When I got off the phone I started sobbing. I got up, walked around the bed and took Geeky in my arms for the last time and carried him back to his bed. I nuzzled his face with mine. He tried to lick me on the cheek and wagged his tail again. Most of the day he slept with the sun shining on him from the solarium. A friend of mine from New York is in town dealing with a family death and called to ask if she could come visit me to take a break from the family drama of death in her life and to be with me during my little drama; letting go of Geeky. She was here when the Vet came. I held Geeky's head in my lap and stroked his face and neck while his Vet gave him a tranquillizer shot to relax him. And when the shot began to relax him he looked up at me again, then let go and drifted off. My young friend helped the Vet carry Geeky's body to his van to take Geeky to be cremated. It's always strange to me that in death our weight seems so heavy. It was only three months ago that my twenty year old cat, Rianna died. I will be very alone tonight. Geeky, I miss you already. Thanks dear for sharing your life with me.