A boy and his dog

This Thanksgiving weekend started out like any other. Complete and total chaos and stress and way too much food. In the midst of all this, our dog got a little stiff. We thought the age (12) and the weather were playing hell with her arthritis. We soon found out otherwise. We had to put Penny down on Saturday. I have only seen tears from my husband one time in the entire 15 years I have known him. But this day would prove to be the second time tears would fall for him. The tears have continued to flow in this house for three days now. Penny stood in our wedding. She watched as we brought both boys home from the hospital. She was a true member of our family. Unlike some members of our family that you don't always want to claim...she was choosen. We raised her up like our child.
Our boy's, though, are feeling the sting of loss at an early age. Jacob is 5, and while he fully understands death, he is mad that she can't come back. Luke is not quite 2 and he still looks out the back door every now and then, just to see if she is there. He lays on her bed to watch TV. He feels the pain, too. He just can't express it or understand it. I can't either, so I can't expect it from my boys!!