Yesterday we had to say goodbye our sweet dog, Ralph.
Kenton actually got him as a puppy in 1995 around the same time he bought the farm.
When the kids and I moved here in 2000 we quickly became attached to him. He loved the kids and being with them.
He even enjoyed being outside in the snow with his family.
Ralph enjoyed farming with Kenton. He would jump in the back of the pickup truck and loved to ride along. If Kenton was here at home working, Ralph was with him. If we were in the yard working, mowing or playing Ralph was there with us barking at the birds chasing them from tree to tree.
He was 14 years old or 98 years old in "dog years". Arthritis had been settling in for the past few years and it was getting harder for him to get around. Over the past month he began losing weight and wouldn't eat. He was getting weaker as the weeks progressed but seemed to still be enjoying life. He would still come to meet us as we drove into the driveway. But the last two days we noticed that he was getting sicker. Kenton called me Friday morning to tell me that Ralph was vomiting the having difficulty standing. We decided as a family that we could not let him suffer. Jessica stayed outside with him for some time before the vet came Saturday afternoon. She sat with his head in her lap.
The four of us were with him when he went peacefully asleep. Later we buried him at the edge of the yard next to the tree line he loved to run through. No doubt, sadness will dwell in our house for awhile. I never knew how hard it was to have your beloved pet die. We will all miss him.
I looked for some profound words to say about Ralph but nothing seemed quite right but this simple quote:
"A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life."
(Bob Barker)
Ralph was a wonderful part of our lives. We loved him as he did us. He will never be forgotten.
