RIP Cleo 1996-2008

We had to put Cleo down today. I still can't get over it. I keep wanting her to be upstairs every time I go. I keep thinking, She can't be gone... But we couldn't have kept her alive much longer. She had this degenerative disease that was eating at her spinal cord. Her back legs were already starting to fail, and she was in constant pain. It's better that we let her go quickly and painlessly.

I'm still distraught. I've had her since I was 3. She's been around almost as long as Aidan, and nearly 3 years longer than Josh. She was as much a part of the family as any of us.

The entire house is grieving, even Maddie. She hasn't ran around as much, or played as much, since she realized Cleo was gone. We're all feeling the same way, but it's difficult to tell who was affected most. It was either me or Mom. Aidan and Josh weren't there, and Kris didn't know her as long.

Actually I think that's what made it hard for me, was being there. Seeing her in her last moments alive, so peppy, even in pain. I'm glad I did, though. Maybe it'll help me get over it faster, knowing I was one of the last things she saw.

I'm keeping her collar. Forever. That'll be my everyday reminder of my greatest companion.

RIP Cleo 1996-2008. You will be missed.