What To Do When Your Pet Passes After Hours

It happened to my family this past weekend.  Our amazing dog, Sandy, passed at 5pm on Saturday after a very short illness.  Before I get to all the sad details of what we did after Sandy found her wings, I got to tell you about how this little rescue dog became a very fun member of our family.

In 2013, my girls - both very young 7 and 11 - begged us for a dog.  This was a big beg.  My wife and I had pets before, two dogs, Chelsea and Jake, that went back to our dating days.  And then there was Shang and Mulan, two cats who were the primary pets for my older children.  We were out of the pet business.  I was to be happy to pet free.  Then, came this little rescue dog named Hannah.  Her story was she was mistreated by her previous owner and was basically afraid of people. What happened I don't know.  I do know that Hannah had been a mother at one point.  To become the owner of Hannah, we had to have a special meeting where a shelter worker and Hannah. They both checked out our backyard and us.  Well, we passed the test.  Hannah was a member of the family.  We decided to change her name to "Sandy" and give her a fresh start.  I don't know if this is because we were watching "Grease" at the time, but it may have been an influence.  Sandy dove right and warmed up to us quickly.  She was the constant companion to my younger girls. They cuddled with her, dressed her up and drew pictures of their best friend.  Sandy was know for her terrible breath, her fuzzball appearance and her unconditional love.  Everything you want in a pet lol. She also paved the way for us getting two more dogs, Rebel and Diesel.  Like the entire family, both dogs were heartbroken at Sandy's passing.  It happened so quick. On Thursday night, I noticed her a bit spaced out and sluggish.  She didn't eat or drink.  We took her to Vet they diagnosed an infection and gave her an IV.  Saturday night at 5pm, she passed. RIP Sandy - you were the ultimate family dog.

So, what were the next steps?  Well, we contacted a local pet urgent care that was open until 8.  They would take Sandy and they offered cremation services. There were two options.  One was a simple cremation and her remains would be scattered among the clinic grounds.  The next option was Sandy would be cremated and we would receive the remains.  We decided on the second option for closure.  It was tough taking our little dog's lifeless body from the back our car to the clinic's back door.  However, I know Sandy is in a better place with no pain. RIP