Blessed Beyond Measure
Every year on Thanksgiving, I publish a blog of 100 things I am thankful for. It is a tradition started by a friend of mine that I have enjoyed writing many years, but this year I am going to deviate from the norm. Something happened last week that blessed me so incredibly that I can't help but share it!
Last Wednesday I unexpectedly had to put my pup Ella down. The family I work recently got chickens and Ella killed every last one of them. This was not Ella's first chicken offense, she has killed a handful at various pet sitting jobs and/or a friend's houses. What made this instance different was the effort she put in to getting in the chicken coop. She had climb up a pallet, scale a chain-link fence and then crawl across a wire covered top, looking for a little hole she could worm her way through. While I was impressed at her problem solving skills, I knew there would be no stopping her from getting chickens when she really wanted them.
As much as I loved Ella, she was definitely not without her faults. She had to be kenneled when I wasn't home because she loved to get in the trash and eat food off the counters. She couldn't stand to be kenneled out doors - she would dig a hole under or climb the fence to get out and boy, could that girl bark when she was confined to a backyard all day. I was able to take Ella to work with me each day since one of the families I work for live out of town a bit and had a big space for her to roam. I've always been afraid she would find the wrong chickens, chase the wrong cows, or do something to make another landowner angry and she would get shot. To be honest, whenever I heard a gunshot while I was working, I immediately went to find Ella. She had a love for adventure but a nose for trouble and I knew rehoming her would be very hard. So I made the difficult decision to put her down. A vet I dearly love and admire was free that afternoon and after listening to my concerns, she agreed this probably was for the best.
When my Maggie died, I buried her out at Ryan's house because she spent many hours running and playing on their property when I worked for them. Ryan's dad was working out of town the day I put Ella down and, not wanting to bother anyone and ask them to dig a hole, I decided to leave Ella at the vet and have them dispose of her. I'm not super sentimental when a pet dies and since that seemed the easiest option, it made sense to me. Saying goodbye to that sweet girl at the vet was so hard on this gal's heart but the vet made it more bearable and Ella went out in true Ella fashion - snoring louder than all get out when they gave her the shot that relaxed her. That girl could snore!!
That evening, I started to get sick and by the next evening, I was feeling much worse. I didn't know it at the time, but a lovely case of strep had found it's way to my throat. That evening a friend came over to visit and asked if she could sit and talk with me for a minute because something I had said to her the previous evening when we talked hadn't sat right with her and she had been bothered about it all day. In my mind, I was thinking "Oh great! I have to put Ella down, I feel awful, and now I've said something to hurt this dear girl's feelings!" and I braced myself for what she had to say.
To make a long story short, this dear, sweet friend, was bothered - for my sake - with my decision to leave Ella at the vet and not bury her. She called my best friend in Kansas City and a friend here to discuss her idea with them, wanting to make sure she wouldn't be stepping on my toes. Having their blessing, she got together with her cousin and they went to the vet and got Ella from the garbage and put her in the cold storage until I was able to bury her. As she told me how everything played out, I just sat there in surprise and awe. I was incredibly moved that this friend would do such a thing for me!! I didn't know cold storage was an option after putting an animal down but even if I had, I was so emotionally out of it that evening that I might not have made the decision anyway. Even as I write this, I am so, so blessed. Who goes to fetch a dead dog out of the garbage for another person?!?!
Laying sick on the couch for the next few days, I missed Ella terribly. She would have been right by me every moment, hogging the couch and curling up in bed with me for a nap. She could nap with the best of them! When the tears came during those few days, the blessing of having such a compassionate and wonderful friend helped to alleviate some of the pain. This friend loved my Ella like her own and I am so very thankful for her.
As if all of this wasn't amazing enough, God provided another unexpected blessing out of this difficult time. When I got to the vet for my appointment, the receptionist told me there would be no charge and that my bill had been taken care of. After putting Ella down, I mentioned it to the vet and she told me my boss had called her and told her not to let me pay the bill - the same boss whose chickens Ella killed!! Again, I was in such a awe. Who has a heart like that?? To cap it off, this friend/boss isn't a big fan of dogs and often said she loved me and tolerated Ella!
I have so many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving, I could easily fill a blog of 100 of them. This year I am especially thankful for the many wonderful blessings God provides, even in the painful times. Although saying goodbye to Ella wasn't something I saw coming, I am thankful for a God who did and provided beyond anything I could have imagined. I truly am blessed beyond measure.
Last Wednesday I unexpectedly had to put my pup Ella down. The family I work recently got chickens and Ella killed every last one of them. This was not Ella's first chicken offense, she has killed a handful at various pet sitting jobs and/or a friend's houses. What made this instance different was the effort she put in to getting in the chicken coop. She had climb up a pallet, scale a chain-link fence and then crawl across a wire covered top, looking for a little hole she could worm her way through. While I was impressed at her problem solving skills, I knew there would be no stopping her from getting chickens when she really wanted them.
As much as I loved Ella, she was definitely not without her faults. She had to be kenneled when I wasn't home because she loved to get in the trash and eat food off the counters. She couldn't stand to be kenneled out doors - she would dig a hole under or climb the fence to get out and boy, could that girl bark when she was confined to a backyard all day. I was able to take Ella to work with me each day since one of the families I work for live out of town a bit and had a big space for her to roam. I've always been afraid she would find the wrong chickens, chase the wrong cows, or do something to make another landowner angry and she would get shot. To be honest, whenever I heard a gunshot while I was working, I immediately went to find Ella. She had a love for adventure but a nose for trouble and I knew rehoming her would be very hard. So I made the difficult decision to put her down. A vet I dearly love and admire was free that afternoon and after listening to my concerns, she agreed this probably was for the best.
When my Maggie died, I buried her out at Ryan's house because she spent many hours running and playing on their property when I worked for them. Ryan's dad was working out of town the day I put Ella down and, not wanting to bother anyone and ask them to dig a hole, I decided to leave Ella at the vet and have them dispose of her. I'm not super sentimental when a pet dies and since that seemed the easiest option, it made sense to me. Saying goodbye to that sweet girl at the vet was so hard on this gal's heart but the vet made it more bearable and Ella went out in true Ella fashion - snoring louder than all get out when they gave her the shot that relaxed her. That girl could snore!!
That evening, I started to get sick and by the next evening, I was feeling much worse. I didn't know it at the time, but a lovely case of strep had found it's way to my throat. That evening a friend came over to visit and asked if she could sit and talk with me for a minute because something I had said to her the previous evening when we talked hadn't sat right with her and she had been bothered about it all day. In my mind, I was thinking "Oh great! I have to put Ella down, I feel awful, and now I've said something to hurt this dear girl's feelings!" and I braced myself for what she had to say.
To make a long story short, this dear, sweet friend, was bothered - for my sake - with my decision to leave Ella at the vet and not bury her. She called my best friend in Kansas City and a friend here to discuss her idea with them, wanting to make sure she wouldn't be stepping on my toes. Having their blessing, she got together with her cousin and they went to the vet and got Ella from the garbage and put her in the cold storage until I was able to bury her. As she told me how everything played out, I just sat there in surprise and awe. I was incredibly moved that this friend would do such a thing for me!! I didn't know cold storage was an option after putting an animal down but even if I had, I was so emotionally out of it that evening that I might not have made the decision anyway. Even as I write this, I am so, so blessed. Who goes to fetch a dead dog out of the garbage for another person?!?!
Laying sick on the couch for the next few days, I missed Ella terribly. She would have been right by me every moment, hogging the couch and curling up in bed with me for a nap. She could nap with the best of them! When the tears came during those few days, the blessing of having such a compassionate and wonderful friend helped to alleviate some of the pain. This friend loved my Ella like her own and I am so very thankful for her.
As if all of this wasn't amazing enough, God provided another unexpected blessing out of this difficult time. When I got to the vet for my appointment, the receptionist told me there would be no charge and that my bill had been taken care of. After putting Ella down, I mentioned it to the vet and she told me my boss had called her and told her not to let me pay the bill - the same boss whose chickens Ella killed!! Again, I was in such a awe. Who has a heart like that?? To cap it off, this friend/boss isn't a big fan of dogs and often said she loved me and tolerated Ella!
I have so many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving, I could easily fill a blog of 100 of them. This year I am especially thankful for the many wonderful blessings God provides, even in the painful times. Although saying goodbye to Ella wasn't something I saw coming, I am thankful for a God who did and provided beyond anything I could have imagined. I truly am blessed beyond measure.
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