Rest in Peace, Mullins

We had known for some time it was coming to pass. But when you have a family member for 13 1/2 years -- albeit a hairy one - it's hard to face the reality that the event has, as they are prown to do, come to pass. So, on October 22, we put Mullins down.
With eyes becoming increasingly cloudy, hips swivelling more and more with displacia, and an all-around weariness seeping into her frame, we knew it was time. This is a big event, though, in our home: our chlidren have never lived one day without Mullins in their lives. Craig and I adopted her from the shelter in Anchorage, AK, when she was just 6 months old. We'd been married a mere 9 months so, for all intents and purposes, we've had her for nearly as long as we've been married, too.

And life without her is weird. And, honestly, releasing. Letting go has been freeing for everyone, despite how hard it was to actually DO the letting go. That's true for alot of our life's pains, isn't it?

Grace and Elijah wanted a last picture with their beloved pet...

 and Grace (our "feeler" and sentimentalist, sweet child) wanted to keep Mullins' tags in a velvet box.

So we say goodbye to our four-legged companion, but we remember her long and happy life...and we celebrate the memory of a furry friend even as we mark her passing.