Remembering Apollo

I had my dog euthanized last Thursday.
I can't say "put to sleep" and I'm not quite ready for "put to death" so "euthanized" works the best for me.
I had my beautiful Apollo for almost 12 years.
I had never before had a pet for 12 years.
His death was peaceful. I will never forget the kindness and compassion of my vet. She let me keep him in the back of my car and gave him the Big Pink Shot there so we didn't have to go through the trauma of moving him again. He still weighed 86 lbs so I was thankful to God that my hubby and I were able to get him into the car on the first try.
In some ways, Apollo was the heartbeat of our house. He was always there. Even when we were out of town, Apollo was there, guarding, sleeping, protecting. He protected my little reds when they were born. Nobody got past him unless I introduced them first. He would sleep on the landing going up the stairs where the little reds would be in their rooms and simply stand up if he didn't know who was coming. In his prime, he weighed almost 150 lbs. He looked like a giant polar bear.
So my heart is heavy.
This Sunday will be the blessing of the Animals--Apollo had gone with me for 10 years. But I give thanks to God for the memories I have of my Good Boy--and look forward to blessing the pets who bring unconditional love to our lives.
Peace,
RevMutha

Apollo and the lil reds

My big dog is getting old.
His name is Apollo and we love him very much. He's an Anatolian Shepherd and he weighs about 152 lbs. Neither of his parents lived to be 8 yrs old and Apollo is now 10 1/2. Which is pretty remarkable. But now it's getting harder for him to get up in the mornings and his old bones are kinda creaky. He doesn't take the steps down to the backyard as easily as he used to, but he still manages. And if I'm fixin' bacon, he'll come and stand by the stove, so I figure that's a good sign.
Pets are so precious--what an incredible, constant reminder of the beauty of God in creation and unconditional love...

My husband allowed my daughter to hold a hamster last week at the pet store.
If you're gonna let a 9 yr old hold a hamster, you'd better be ready to buy a hamster.

So now we own a hamster.
Her name is Misty.

The cats are fascinated. They study the hamster as if she's live bait.
Y'all pray for us because 9 yr olds aren't exactly notorious for being responsible and I have a feeling this could all end in heartache.
I'm just sayin'

Peace,
RevMutha