All dogs go to...

Abby had her first experience with death today...well, kind of. My parents had to put down one of their dogs this morning because he seemed to have gotten lead poisoning from something that he ate a few days ago. They had two dogs...Brody, the energetic, sweet-as-can-be and gorgeous golden retriever who let the girls ride on his back and pull his hair and hold onto his tail and do whatever they pleased when he was around...and then there is Bailey, the old, short and stumpy mutt that has been labeled "grumpy dog" because he growls and snarls when the girls try to ride his back or really even step into his 2-foot radial personal space (or would that be caninal space?). Guess who had to be put down this morning?

I got off the phone with Dad and sat down to explain it all to Abby:

Me: Honey, Brody died today.
Abby: Why?
Me: Because he got really sick and died.
Abby: Oh. (pause........) Well, that's okay. He'll be okay when we see him next year.
Me: No hun, he's dead forever. You won't get to see him again.
Abby: Ohhhhhhhh. But at least he's happy now in heaven with God.
Me: Uh-huh.

Yeah, didn't quite have the heart to explain to her about souls and heaven and animals not having souls and everything that had me thoroughly confused each time I watched "All Dogs go to Heaven" as a kid. I figured I'd add that one to the list of "things you tell your children to scar their little minds" day. "Yeah, hun. Now you know where babies really come from. And if you take drugs, they could make you poke out your own eyes. Oh yeah, and Brody isn't in heaven." (I seriously watched a documentary in school about a kid who poked out his eyes while high on something and it freaked. me. out. Who says that scare tactics don't work?)

I was able to squeeze in some good cuddle time with Abby during and after our little talk, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. That little bugger never lets me hold her...ever!, so I could tell that she was a little upset about Brody. But she seemed to forget about it after a few minutes and went about her day of destroying the playroom and pestering her sister.

And almost every time I scolded her for something, she got the saddest look on her face, poked out that little lip and said "Well mom, I'm just so sad about Brody." That stinker...exploiting the poor dog for her own good. She's a smart one.