This evening I will take Henry, his crate and his toys and I will load them all up in my truck. I'm not going to drive, I'm already crying and I know that I won't be in any condition to handle the road conditions right now.
When I get to our destination, I will hand Henry and his accoutrements over to a man and woman who will be his new 'parents'. After saying my goodbyes, I'll get back in my truck and I'll cry all the way home.
Henry isn't going to be living with us anymore. He can't live with us anymore. He has snapped at the kids one time too many, and none of the methods I've tried to stop him have worked. It's better for everyone involved if Henry goes to live with people who don't have children and who are better equipped to deal with snappy wee-nah dawgs.
It's been a horrible decision to have to make; I've lost sleep over it and have cried myself dry a few times. Henry is MY dog, you see. He's kept me going through deployments, he's helped me recover from surgery, he's been there to make me laugh and has licked away the tears when they've rolled down my cheeks. Apart from the snapping, he's a grand little dog - but I simply cannot take the risk that Henry will, someday, bite one of my kids - or even worse, someone else's kid - because that would literally be a death sentence for him.
The people who are adopting him are wonderful people, and they know about daschunds and the way they think. They've currently got a wire-haired daschund and are incredibly excited about adding Henry to their family. They have a house with a big yard for the dogs to run and play in, and they spoil the dog they already have rotten - and Henry is going to be no different. He's going to have the time of his life out there with them, and whilst I'm not happy about having to give him up, I'm glad that he's going to be with them. I did my homework before I agreed to the adoption; I made sure that they were all that they claimed to be before I told them that Henry would be coming to live with them.
They ARE all they claim to be, and so, in about half an hour, I'll ask Henry if he wants to go for a ride in the truck (he loves riding in the truck and the car) and we'll go to meet his new parents. I'll come back home without him....and I'll come home from work tomorrow to a Henry-less house. That's going to be strange, and I'm expecting there to be some tears.
I love you, wee-nah dawg. I'm not doing this because I don't like you anymore, I'm doing it because I love you and because I want you to have a happy life. Your new momma will spoil you with all kinds of toys and treats, and I want you to be nice to her. I'll never forget you....I'm going to keep your name tag in my memories box, along with the kids baby teeth and the cards and things they made for me when they were little.
I'll never forget you, wee-nah. I hope that you don't forget me either.