As I type this post, I have tears in my eyes. I feel as though our family has hit this ginormous crossroads in our family history. This last week our family changed. We had to make the dreadful decision to have our beloved Bongo put down.
Our sweet Bongo was our very first "baby" and Shane's first dog! We got Bongo from the Humane Society on our one-year anniversary of dating. He's been with us from the very beginning and it is incredibly hard to think about not having him around. I cannot believe what an impact a dog can make on your family!
There will never be another Bongo. He was simply the best dog with the sweetest demeanor. Anyone who has been to our house has met Bongo and knows how much he belonged in our family. I believe anyone that has had a dog knows exactly how much they truly become a part of your family!
As I looked back at a few pictures, Bongo was almost ALWAYS in them. Even if he was just sitting in the background, his black and white spots were always there. His love for each one of us was so apparent.
One thing I thought would be a struggle was explaining what happened to Bongo with Zay. If you've read any of my previous blogposts you probably realize Zay's love for our dogs. We pray for them every night! Bongo was such a patient dog, he would stay in Zay's room until he fell asleep at night. And most nights would go back in his room in the middle of the night and lay next to Zay's bed to sleep. Those two loved each other!
In the days leading up to putting Bongo down I cried...a lot. Especially after we made the inevitable appointment. Sweet Isaiah would run up to me and give me the biggest hugs and say "Mama, no cry..."
Thankfully, this transition has been a lot less stressful than I thought it would be! Leading up to Bongo's passing we kept explaining to Zay that he had to be really gentle around Bongo, because he was sick and didn't feel well. Then last Friday, we simply told Zay that since Bongo was sick he had to go bye-bye, but now he doesn't feel bad or hurt any more. And with that explanation, Zay has been cool with everything! Love my go-with-the-flow little guy!
And I'm so thankful for my brave husband that actually stayed with Bongo until the end. I was such a mess there was no way I could do it, but Shane didn't want Bongo to be alone in his last moments, so he stayed with Bongo through it all. Talk about heart-breaking!!!
We sure loved our sweet Bongo and will never forget that he was a part of our family for 7+ years. And our other pup, Bailey sure misses him too!
A few (ok, a lot!) pictures of our lovable Bongo...or as Zay would call him "Moo Moo".