Our oldest son, Josh, wanted a dog one day so we encourage him to look for a "free dog" in the newspaper ad and luckily he found one. The owner graciously gave us Abby, her bucket of dog food, her balls, her metal crate and her dog house. Abby was a year old when we got her. This was 2003 and Abby since became a part of our family. Like all dogs she loves attention and lots of love which the boys readily gave her. She also loves BALLS. She loves to snuggle and sleep with anybody who would let her.
We got her in Omaha and moved with us to Kansas. She eagerly welcomed JJ when we adopted him as well and the two became inseparable. JJ loved playing in the sprinkler but Abby hated the water. Whenever JJ is out in the backyard Abby is right behind him. It is always a delight to watch them together. When the boys moved out it became JJ and Abby and Michael then. My role is to give her food and water and occasionally play with her. Abby knows she cannot set her foot on the living room carpet and the kitchen area because of the mean woman in the house (that's me) but sometimes she tries to push her right to be where she thinks she should be but I always win :).
When we decided to go on this journey, we thought of several options as to where Abby should go. Both the boys can't take her in their apartments. We've asked friends both near and far if they would be interested and finally it was getting close for us to move out. Abby has to go to the shelter. It was a hard decision and a struggle. Abby is and will always be part of our family and giving her away like that is really hard and it hurts everyone in the family but we don't have a choice. JJ cried for a while the day we have to take her to the shelter. I cried with him and I know Michael was crying too. The only way I could comfort JJ was to assure him that he will get another dog JUST LIKE ABBY in the Philippines. I told him to ask the intake person at the shelter for Abby's collar and leash so he can still use it for his future dog when we get to the Philippines. That seemed to help the hurt.
A pet is another thing you need to deal with when moving out of the country. We would have loved to take Abby with us but we believe the long flight will be too much for her. If you can't find anybody to take care of a pet when moving, try calling your local pet shelter. They will take your pet for a donation and although there is no guarantee that your pet gets adopted, they will do their best. Moving is not easy for everyone when there is a pet involved.
If we would have decided to take her with us, we would have to have her papers, current vaccinations, an approved crate and according to the Consulate website, she would be quarantined in the Philippines before she's released to us. So, with sad and heavy heart we parted with our beloved Abby.
Please keep following our blog as we discover what God has in store for us in this exciting journey. Thanks for following and God bless you and yours.
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