The family I grew up in, we’re dog people. We had a couple hounds when I was very young, but then we got a Labrador retriever and stayed with the breed from then on. The first was Missy, and then came Shadow. The last of them, Abigail, was a rescue. She died recently. It was cancer. She was 12.
Here are photos from the day Mom and Dad brought Abigail to my house so we could meet her. It was March of 2011. That’s my brother in there, also with my dear friend Gracie, who passed in 2013.
Abigail’s muzzle almost immediately began turning white. By the time she died, her face was largely white. Here’s a black-and-white film photo I made of her in 2014, her muzzle about half white.
Abigail was a quiet and gentle soul, a perfect companion for my quiet, homebody parents. Since Dad died, it was just Mom and Abigail at home. Now it’s just Mom.
My, but do we become attached to our dogs. We’ll all miss Abigail. Thanks for indulging me today as I remember her.
Last updated on 2 March 2020 by Jim Grey
Sorry for this loss to your family. Abigail sounds like she was a sweetheart.
She was a gentle soul.
I’m really sorry for your loss Jim. I completely understand how hard it can be. You’ve got some lovely pictures of her.
I’ve been lucky enough to have had 3 dogs in my life over the last few years. I lost Daisy at the age of 16 about 4 months ago, and it still hurts me. I still can’t even write about it. But the other two are an endless source of joy. I’m told I just have a huge stupid grin on my face when I’m out with them and watch them running in the fields.
I’m sorry to hear you lost Daisy. I remember seeing photos of her over on Instagram. She looked like a dear old girl.
Thanks for sharing this nice tribute to Abigail, she looks like she was a sweet pea. Our rescue dog is about that age now, and I’m very mindful of giving her extra treats and pats every time I walk by.
Thanks Jon. She was a lovely girl.
Abigail was such a sweet dog. Hugs.
❤
Pet cancer just sucks.
Good friends had to put down a dog last month and we’ve lost 2 cats in the last 5 years.
And while they suffer, there’s so little you can do for them.
What a nice tribute to Abigail in words and pictures!
Thank you my friend!
Sorry for the loss. When the picture first popped up I thought it was an old picture of my black lab. We lost him to cancer also, back in 2016.
Thanks Mike. Labs are great!
It always hurts to say goodbye –
unconditional love
It hurts Mom more than the rest of us, as it was her dog, but we will all miss her.
Dogs have a sneaky way of touching the softest part of our hearts. Thank you for sharing Abigail with us.
She had such a lovely, gentle spirit.
This I understand too well. Labradors are puppies for life, and it always seems like the end comes too soon no matter how old they are. 14 is a pretty good age for a dog, but not long enough for its owner. Our two labs are both 9 now, and I know what the future holds for them. Well us as well of course, but its harder with a pet because they have no understanding of why it happens.
My condolences on your loss.
Thanks Marc. We were fortunate to be a Lab family.
What a beauty. I’m so sorry. Sending big hugs. (Ah, critters leave such big voids.)
Don’t they though?
They always leave a big hole in your heart when they leave us. Thanks for passing this along; my condolences to you and your family. What a lovely dog.
Thank you Karen. She was a dear.
Sorry for the loss Jim. We’re cat folks here, but have suffered similar losses – our last was early this year when Luigi, our 19-year-old ginger Tom, was lost to us. He wasn’t the first cat we’ve had to say goodbye to and won’t be the last – we rescued Stan, a black and white tom, later in the year – but it never gets easier when their time is up. While they all leave holes in lives when they’re no longer around, take comfort in the fact that they also leave many, many happy memories.
Oh gosh, 19! Luigi is a great name for a cat.
My eldest son named him. He was into Super Mario Bros. at the time. :)
Sorry for your loss. It a emotional time when our pet pass away. I guess cause we treat them like family.
We do for sure. Mom never wanted to be away from home for more than a few hours so she could care for Abigail.
What a lovely, gentle looking pooch. I miss having a dog around for walkies on a lovely day. Not when it was cold or raining or very early, but the pay off with smooches almost made it worth it for me. I think one day I will have another dog, in the meantime, I love looking at photos of other people’s.
Margaret and I sort of miss having a dog. We do not, however, miss having to race home at day’s end to let a dog out. Our son Zach leaves his little dog Obie with us when he goes out of town. Obie’s a great dog, but after he goes back home we realize we do not miss daily dog care. Maybe we’ll get a dog again after our nest empties of kids.
Or a cat :-)
Margaret is so allergic that even the shots don’t counteract it!
Well that sucks