At last, peace.

Today was a bittersweet day. Today, we said goodbye to Dexter. While I took TMO on an outing, D took Dexter to the vet to put him to sleep. I have a strange sense of peace now, because I think that these last few days were very painful for him. His poor old body was starting to shut down, and to keep him around would have meant a death by starvation or by blood poisoning.

Although it was hard for me -- I've only been around 'the boys' for six and a half years -- it was very hard for D. He raised Spencer and Dexter since their mother gave birth to them and then abandoned them shortly thereafter, fifteen years ago this month.

D took Dexter in to the vet by himself. He said that it looked like Dexter knew what was happening, and welcomed it. The clinic that we go to is incredible: one of the technicians made a casting in clay of Dexter's pawprint, and inscribed his name on the plaque.

While it's been very cathartic to write about this, I really appreciated the kind words that Laura, Sarina, and Tinkerbeth wrote. Thank you...you don't know what it meant to me (us).