Barney flew over the Rainbow Bridge yesterday at 1:30 p.m. For something so hard for us humans to endure, it was the most peaceful and loving thing to do for Barney, who was always our Angel Child.
Our vet then shaved a small area near his tummy/leg first, which I set aside for a souvenir. Then she administered a tranquilizer.This kept Barney alive for about 5 minutes, but he was very dozy. About midway through the 5 minutes, I played a song for Barney - "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart. I have always found the lyrics in this song very beautiful:
May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud, dignified, and true
And do unto others as you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever young, forever young, forever young
May good fortune be with you, may your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven with a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you will remain
Forever young, forever young, forever young
And when you finally fly away I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime no one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you win or lose
Forever young, forever young, forever young
Then Dr. G gave Barney his final shot. I was holding him. It was so fast. I could feel the muscles in his neck just let his head go limp in my hand. Sometimes at this stage, an animal will pee or poop. He didn't at all. I took him into the bedroom I had been sleeping in to give him extra loves for his last days, and held him. He was cuddled up in a flannel blanket and I held him to my chest, kissing his still warm face, and inhaling the incredible caramel smell he always had. Oh how I wish I could find a perfume like that.
I went back to the living room and handed him carefully to Dr. T. She further wrapped him in a soft blanket. I gave her instructions about wanting his ashes back, and about wanting back the flannel blanket I had wrapped him in.
A final goodbye. It is so tough to say goodbye, but I know it isn't forever. He will watch down on us until the day we meet again.
