Yesterday, our boys, Harley and Duke, crossed the rainbow bridge together. Harley’s health had been declining over the past year, but it never felt like “time” for him, or for me. Last week, as he began slowing down even more, we made the heartbreaking decision to let him go. We gave ourselves a week to spoil him, showering him with love and treats.
Just a few days after deciding on Harley, Duke’s health, which had been gradually worsening, took a sudden turn. Without Harley, he would have slipped into a depression, and his condition would have deteriorated even faster. They were both old boys. My old boys.
On Saturday night, we had a backyard fire, shared a meal, sipped some wine, and gave them all the treats they could ever want. We hugged them, kissed them, and tried to pack all the love we had into those last moments. Still, it never felt like enough.
By Sunday afternoon, after some McDonald’s chicken nuggets and ice cream, Jamie had Duke on his lap and Harley on mine. They both took their last breaths surrounded by love, held close until the very end. We told them how much they meant to us, how lucky we were to have called them ours.
Letting them go together was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but I know it was the right one. It doesn’t make the pain any less real. Harley and Dukey, wherever you are, we already miss you more than words can say.
“I loved you your whole life; now I will spend the rest of mine missing you.”
— Jay Shipston-Fife
Credit: Samantha Womble