Some goodbyes are harder than others

The last difficult goodbye I said was saying goodbye to Bear B. It’s been five years, and I still miss him deeply.

Bear B. was an epileptic dog. He took medication daily. He was so good about taking his medicine, but sometimes it wasn’t enough and he still had seizures. He had been having more and more seizures lately, and we suspected that his time was coming.

All week, he’d been having seizures and was especially lethargic. That day, he hung close to my side and seemed particularly sad. We snuggled a lot.

When the last seizures started, I think I knew that they’d be his last. With tears streaming down my face, I told him that it was okay to let go. I told him that he didn’t have to fight anymore. I cried as I told him I loved him and watched as he slipped away.