Goodbye Mr. Finbar!

Last week our beloved yellow labrador, Finbar, died. He had been showing his age in the past year, and the potion that would make him young again that Evan often pined for doesn't exist. It's very difficult for me to write this post, as I am still in mourning. In fact, I'll save my tribute to Finbar for a later post when I'm still not as prone to tears.

Lots of people keep asking me how the boyz are handling the loss of Finbar, and the answer is "much better than their parents." The boyz have never known a life without a dog in the family so I don't think they grasp how special a dog is. Of course, they would like to get a new dog right away.

Thankfully, Finbar died of natural causes at home surrounded by Greg and me in the middle of the night. He spared us any difficult decisions or the pain of seeing his health decline further. The boyz did not have to witness his final moments either, as they were still sleeping. We were able to move him to the garage before they awakened.

When we told the boyz the news in the morning, we kept it very simple and let them ask for the details they needed. Evan insisted that he could still hear Finbar in the house, and almost a week later so do I. Liam wanted to know if he disappeared which I believe comes from seeing Jedis die on Star Wars. (I like the idea of Finbar as a Jedi Knight.) Liam also wanted to know if Finbar still had fur and a tail and requested to see him in the garage.

Since Finbar looked pretty much as he had alive, we decided to let the boyz say goodbye to him. It was very sad, but I think important. Liam wanted to feel his fur again and wondered if he could still see him. He seemed to be comforted by the thought of Finbar's looking at him from heaven. Liam went on to ask me if I was going to work that day. When I said no, he said, "Well, you can't take a dead dog to work with you."

Sad events are often not without humor, and this event was no execption. For few days, Liam was telliing everyone in a very cheerful voice, "We have sad news. Finbar died, and now we are keeping him in the garage."As beautiful as we thought Finbar was, we are not having him taxidermied, and he is no longer in the garage. We were able to have him cremated, and we will take his ashes to a special place later in the fall.

Maybe by then, I'll be able to write more about how special Finbar was to our family and our home. As Evan has said several times, "It feels very lonely in the house without Finbar." Our house may be cleaner, our black clothes less furry, the bathroom door open, but our home does not feel complete without our Mr. Finbar.