Tonight, we morn the loss of our beloved pet, Chloe. Chloe was laid to rest this evening after battling weeks of illness. Today she could no longer stand, and refused to eat or drink. We sat with Chloe outside, shedding tears and saying, "goodbye" until our scheduled veterinarian appointment. What we thought was a simple infection 2 1/2 weeks ago, turned out to be a tumor and quickly restricted Chloe's movement, desire to eat and even drink water.
It is hard to describe in words what Chloe meant to our family and the role she played, as it changed a lot over the past 9 years and was different for all of us.
For Reuben and I, Chloe was our pride and joy. We did competitive obedience training, tracking, and agility classes with her and she was a star. She impressed everyone (including the instructor) with how well she listened and understood the commands. Chloe was our security system. We always felt safe when we were at home with her and knew that she would do whatever it took to protect our family. Chloe was our doorbell. We disconnected our doorbell when Ethan was born because it always woke him up, but I often failed to hear the knocks. Chloe always did though, and would let us know when someone was at the door. Chloe was my late night companion, over the last six years there have been many middle of the night feedings that Chloe has accompanied me to and sat with me through. Chloe attempted to be my running partner. She tried really hard to keep up with me and sure enjoyed going for runs, but didn't quite have the endurance on anything past a few kilometres. Chloe was a loyal friend. She loved us so much and was so happy just to be with us. She sat with me during all of my pregnancies and health recoveries and seemed to always sense when I wasn't feeling well.
For Ethan, Chloe was protective. From the moment he was born, she became more aware of who was around and why. She was often found sleeping in the hallway outside of his bedroom door, pushed ajar because she had checked in on him during the night. Chloe was also his playmate. You could find them playing tug-o-war often. Chloe would usually initiate the play by bringing a toy to Ethan. Ethan caught on quick to the game and would laugh as he eagerly participated.
For Jonas, Chloe was a baby gate, cautiously sitting across the top of the stairs when the gate was accidently left open. She was a stair, enabling him to climb up onto the couch and she was a friend who shared her bed (Jonas loves laying down on Chloe's bed) and tolerated aggressive demonstrations of affection.
Chloe was part of our family. We loved her, laughed with her, were annoyed by her and shared many memories with her that we will always cherish. Our hearts are heavy and our house empty tonight without her.
