Dear Friends:
By now, most of you have heard the sad news about Bruce. A week ago this past Wednesday, September 6, I made the decision to euthanize him. A veterinarian, experienced in hospice care, came to the rectory and, with her help, Bruce passed peacefully about 8:00 P.M. I am heart broken, but I am at peace with letting him go.
Bruce was a very old dog, perhaps as old as fifteen or sixteen years in all, and I will say that he was in remarkably good health, with no major health issues for much of his life. Of course, as with us, age caught up with him. He began to show difficulty with going upstairs and some hesitancy coming downstairs last summer. For that he was placed on medication to help with arthritis, especially in his hind legs. He also began to have some difficulty seeing. But to the end, his sense of hearing and his powerful hound nose continued to work. Shortly after my return from vacation last month, I noticed a marked decline in his ability to get up. He needed help, especially coming in from outside, to make it up the stairs. In the last days, he spent most of the time sleeping and his hind legs gave out even more. Thus, the decision was made by me that the time had come to let him go. I miss him terribly. The rectory at night seems empty and lonely. I have never been alone here in the rectory without him, as he came with me when I arrived from Bloomfield back in January of 2012.
I have been thinking about all of this, and it seems to me that God lends us our pets, and there comes a day when we must return them to the Lord. That is always a sad day, but it must happen nonetheless. One of the most painful realities about having pets is that they live such short lives. It falls to us, their owners, to care for them, to love them, and to thank God for the blessing that they have been. Bruce has been a blessing to me most certainly and from all the words of condolence that I have received and read, I can say that Bruce was loved by so many of you as well. I was happy to share him with you. I think he will be remembered here as an institution in himself.
What of Bruce now? My prayer is that he is at peace. Years ago, when I lost my first dog, a parishioner sent me a card with a meditation on it about animals who have died. It is called “The Rainbow Bridge” and it is well-worth reading if you have lost one or more beloved pets. In my life, I have been blessed with three dogs, the first being a beagle named Clancy, the second a “bagle” (beagle/basset hound mix) named Buddy, and Bruce. I take comfort that they are all in God’s good care now.
As for me ever seeing them again, I think that our beloved pets will be part of our experience of heaven. Creation itself will share in the redemption wrought by Christ and animals themselves are part of creation. I found comfort in these words of the late Rev. Billy Graham: “I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there (in heaven), I believe he’ll be there.”
Have a good week!