Elliot

Elliot entered our lives on a cold, snowy January evening 10 1/2 years ago. He was a 5 year old lab mix that had been abandoned in Tennessee and was about to be abandoned again, this time in Connecticut. We weren't really looking for a dog. We already had a cat, a dog, an 18 month old, and I was 5 months pregnant. But none of that seemed to matter. All Elliot wanted was love and we had plenty of that to give. He was, quite frankly, the perfect dog. Never a single vet visit, outside of his annual physical. He didn't bark; he didn't chew on furniture; he didn't jump on visitors. If Lee and I could afford to clone him, we would have done so in a heartbeat. Elliot's biggest flaw was that he wanted to be with you, no matter where you were or what you were doing - and if that meant blocking the kitchen floor while you were cooking, well so be it, as long as he could be with you. Over the last several months, he slowed down some. His old legs weren't so reliable anymore and Lee and I started carrying him up the stairs, as his back legs couldn't be counted on to do the job. But he was still Elliot and his tail still wagged all of the time. Toward the end of last week, even that changed, and on Thursday, we needed to carry him outside. We made an appointment with our vet, but he died on the way there. Elizabeth was by his side, petting him as he crossed over the rainbow bridge. Our vet provided Elliot, Elizabeth and Lee with a room and comfort as they waited for Emily and I to arrive. They gave us the time we needed to say goodbye. And although we know that 15 1/2 years is such an incredibly long life for a dog, it really wasn't long enough for us.  The heartache is immeasurable.  He made our lives better every day and he will be so dearly missed.

 

He was such a beauty.