Goodbye Sunshine

The moment I have long dreaded has come today.  Sunshine, our dog of 15 years, is being put to rest today.  The past several months have been difficult seeing her struggle with the onset of dementia and her loss of interest in being the highly sociable pet that we fondly remember.  Last Monday I believe God opened my eyes to this realization and He began preparing me to let her go.  After Cindy and I came to an agreement that “it was time”, it became more and more evident that our decision and the timing was right.  We shared this with the girls last night and we all shed tears, and hugged on her knowing that this was for the best for her.  We prayed and asked God to be on the lookout for her tomorrow.

In the summer 1998, during our first year of our marriage, we became proud “parents” of Sunshine.  Cindy didn’t have a dog growing up but fortunately for me it wasn’t a hard sell when I told her that I wanted us to get a dog.  When I was growing up we had 3 dogs (not all at the same time), and my favorite was our cocker spaniel named Sunshine.  So without hesitation I began searching the paper for cocker puppies and this led us to a breeder in Brighton, TN.  We chose the cutest puppy with reddish-blonde fur and named her Sunshine.  For the first 5 years of our marriage (until Taylor and Nicole came along), Sunshine received all of our attention; after the girls arrived, she accepted her place in the family as no longer the center of our attention.  We struggled with the news that Taylor had pet allergies but we managed this condition the best we could without seriously considering getting rid of Sunshine.   As she got older, Sunshine battled numerous ear infections, which ultimately led to the removal of her left ear canal in ’08.  Of course she had to wear the “cone of shame” during her recovery, but ultimately this surgery, and a change in her food diet, resulted in minimal future skin and ear infections for her.

They say a dog is man’s best friend.  I believe this to be true because of their genuine loyalty and how they teach us about unconditional love.  When I think of Sunshine, I’m going to remember all the years of enjoyment we shared with her.  We’ll miss you girl…