Claire Bear

For anyone who knows me knows that my pets are my family.  They are not my animals, they are considered members of my family.  As annoying as they can be at times, my feelings will never change.  The hardest part of being a pet owner, which I had to discover the hard way last summer, is when one dies.  It is like taking a piece of your heart and it is hard.  Much harder than I would ever expect it to.  When one dies suddenly and tragically, it is all the more painful because you start thinking of all the things you could have done and should have done differently.  It is hard.  And I don't wish it on anyone, ever.

Last night, my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jerry went through this.  They adopted a bulldog, Claire Bear, last year.  Claire Bear was immediately loved and became a part of their family.  Their daughters and their families loved her too, especially the boys, Zach and Elliott.  Claire Bear was so friendly and loved the energy of the kids.  She was gentle and loving and playful. 

Unfortunately she got outside when the pizza man came to the door and was hit by a speeding car in their neighborhood and Claire Bear died.  My Aunt had just posted a picture of her wearing a Cardinals hat for the world series.  It can happen that fast and a happy night can turn dark and sad in an instant.  When I got my cousins texts, my heart sank.  I remembered how sad I was when Stoli died and how much their entire family loved Claire Bear and my heart broke for them.  I know they will get through this tough time and move on remembering all the happy times with CB but it will take some time.  The snoring at night (and all day), the toys, the empty food bowl and leftover food will be reminders of her until eventually it's just the memories left. 

She was so good with kids.  Duke was loving her up during our trip this summer when we got to meet her.

Having a bully breathing in your ear is one of  a kind.  Duke spent a good amount of time with her when we were there.

She will be missed tremendously.