Fermember When. Marley.

The house is quiet, the kids and hubby are in bed and I sit here with tears running down my face. I really didn't know how hard this would be. I thought I had cried my tears in the last few days. I thought I was ready to say "good bye". I held it together for my kids and my hubby today, but now that they are asleep I'm crumbling.
We put our pup to sleep today. He was our first baby. We had him for 9 1/2 years and let me tell you, someone spied on us and wrote that book "Marley" because that was our dog to a "T". He ate a whole cornish hen off the counter in 10 seconds flat when our friend turned his back. We would go to sleep and the next morning there would be garbage ALL OVER the house. We really couldn't take him on walks because we would have to run to prevent having our arm pulled out of the socket. He would lean on you to get you to pet him and if you stopped he would nudge you with his head or grab you with his paw to get you to keep going. He had the WORST gas of all time...seriously, the dog could clear a house!!
I have many regrets...the human babies arrived and he got booted to the yard, told to go away and did not get as much attention as he deserved. He was so loyal and such a great protector of our family. Like so many scenarios, we did our best to make it up to him in the last few months when we knew he had a degenerative disorder. He got to come back in. We sat on the floor and petted him for hours. He layed on my feet and literally sat on my lap, all 100 pounds of him.
A few days ago the lights went out in his eyes and I understood what people meant when they said, "you'll know when it's time," and I knew. I think he knew too. My husband came home early today and spent time with him, he cried and Marley gave him 3 big licks up side the face as if to say, "it's okay, don't cry, I'm ready."
He made me a better pet owner. I didn't even know how much I loved him until now. I know i'll be better in the future when we are ready for another dog...he taught me so much.
Bye Buddy and thank you.
May you have all the steak and cornish hens you can eat in Heaven.