Time to say goodbye...

Penny went for her last car ride today. In the end it was clear it was time, to the point where I wasn't sure we were going to make it to the 4:00 appointment. We did of course make it there and the vet was a lovely young lady named Kristen who was quite good to deal with under the circumstances. Dan thought her quite scripted but I thought she was fine.

There was no option in my mind other than me being with Penny up until the end. I couldn't just let them take her away to do it. So Kristen did take Penny to the back, but only to have a catheter put in for the injection. She brought Penny back and left us with her for a few minutes. She left some chocolate for Penny, the forbidden treat. I thought it was a very sweet idea. Penny gobbled up the chocolate with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. Kristen came back and before long Penny was gone. I did cry a bit but held together better than I figured (more tears came later, off and on, possibly while I was writing this entry). Even Dan cried a bit. The room we were in had an exit so we didn't have to go back through the office which was nice.

After that it gets surreal, we stopped at the grocery store, came home, had dinner then went to a movie. I'm not sure if that is what one is supposed to do after losing a loved one. I'm pretty sure I just didn't want to sit here at home.

As an aside, I'm not sure when I will be able to take her bed out of the kitchen. It seems to belong there.