All Dogs Go to Heaven

On September 1st, while visiting our families in Hartsville, our dog, Moose, went to doggy heaven. She'd spent a large part of the day outside playing with her cousins while we washed cars & picked weeds. For lunch Marc was extra nice & cut up a whole hot dog for Moose to enjoy. (She took a short break from grazing to enjoy it's deliciousness) 

That afternoon Kyle, Cooper, Moose, & I headed over to my dad's house to hang out with Bryant & Jilli. Dad wasn't home so Moose enjoyed some pool time. Bryant & I took turns holding her in the pool. She even sat on my while I laid out on a pool float. Our friend, Rob, who is a photographer was there too. He snapped a couple of family pics for us. A few minutes after the pics we heard Dad come home so we got Moose out of the pool pronto & put her on the deck so she could play & get down into the backyard. 

Our last family photo together.
Photo cred to Rob

Last pic of Moose.

Kyle & I were keeping an eye on her but got side tracked for just a minute. Kyle asked if I saw Moose & I hadn't. I quickly walked around the border of the pool calling for her & looking in the backyard & under the deck. No luck. I jumped out of the pool & ran to the front yard. I kept calling for her. I thought she may have run to the front door. I turned around & saw her laying in the road by the mailbox. My initial thought was "silly girl, why are you laying in the road?!" But as fast as that thought came, it left & in it's place came the terrible truth. Moose had been hit by a car.

The next few minutes are a bit of a blur but I will recount it the way I remember it.

I don't know if I started running to Moose or screaming for Kyle first but once I got to Moose I knew instantly that she was gone. I looked up & down the street to see who had just hit her but the street was clear & eerily quiet except for the sounds coming from my own mouth. I touched her side before running & screaming/yelling/crying for Kyle. It felt like forever before anyone heard me. Bryant came around the corner first & bolted passed me to Moose. Bryant & I have been through this kind of thing twice before with two of our childhood dogs. He knew what my screaming meant. Next Kyle came running. I remember seeing Bryant & Kyle sitting in the road by Moose. I remember walking around in shock crying hysterically for what seemed like forever. I remember the blank look on Kyle's face as he sat there petting Moose trying to process what had just happened... Thank goodness Jilli had Cooper because in all honesty I hadn't even thought of him...

After many hugs & with tears still flowing Kyle called his dad while I dressed Cooper & passed him off to Bryant & Jilli. They took Cooper down the road to our grandparent's house for Mom to watch him. Kyle & I headed to his parent's house to bury Moose. 

It all happened so fast but yet so slow. In less than an hour our lives changed.

We arrived at the Ensigns and were greeted with more hugs & lots of tears. It broke my heart even more to see our nieces crying. These sweet girls LOVE Moose. It was so such a sad sight.

We decided on a place to bury Moose. Kyle, Marc, & Bryce dug the hole. Before Moose was buried everyone came outside. We said a few words & then continued with the burial. I hated seeing everyone so hurt but I was (& still am) so grateful for their love for Moose & their support for us.

What a day...

Moose's temporary brick headstone. 

Hard to see but Moose is between the small & big trees.

Our nieces were so sweet & did so much to show their love for us & for Moose.

Grace: Took her beaded necklace off & placed it at Moose's grave. The next day when she arrived at the Ensigns I watched her (through the window) run over to Moose's grave. She made sure the bricks that marked Moose's location were just right. She stood there for a moment & then came inside. I believe she was the one that added the small American Flag as well.

Kaylee: I watched her count up her hard earned coins. She wanted to make sure she had enough to get a couple of pictures of Moose printed for her scrap book.  

Taylor: It was so sweet for Taylor to draw not one but two pictures of our family taking Moose for a walk. I know she drew her little heart out. (I haven't taken a picture of them but they are hanging in Coop's room)

Baylee: Later that day Baylee went to the pool with a friend & the friend's Mom. The mom asked Baylee how her day was. Baylee said not good because her cousin, Moose, had been hit by a car, died, & had to be buried in the back yard. The mom, a bit rattled by the story, asked Tiffany about it later & found out that Moose was a dog, not a person. I think it's so sweet of Baylee to refer to Moose as her cousin. 

Everyone in our families did so very much to help us through that day & have checked in on us since. My cousin Sundi even came by later that night with a pint of chocolate ice cream. Sometimes a big bowl of ice cream is just what a grieving heart needs. We also had an outpouring of love from our friends, Moose had a lot of fans, even those that had never met her but had grown to love her through the pics posted on FB. (How could you not love that flat face?!) We even received a special package from Amy, Scott, Madison, Ben, Megan, Blake, Macy, & Brownie. They each made us cards & shared with us their love for Moose. We also got a wonderful collage of family pictures. It's on our fridge. :)

Our cards, drawings, & collage from the Edwards family

I'm grateful to know that families are forever so not only will we be able to play with Moose again but so will the rest of our family.