Yes, it is rather different to have such a complete history of a pair of dogs . . . . lots of people kept coming back to Abby & Keeper's ongoing photo blog through the years and, as one gentleman wrote us today,
"I have followed their adventures with great interest, and am feeling this loss harder than I would have expected for two goldens known only online."
The website was set up for my two godchildren . . . . then the world arrived. They had a message of condolence from Vienna a few days ago.
Abby and Keeper served as interesting, generally uncontrollable muses, reviving a lost interest in photography. They were a creative outlet for myself . . . .
Apparently our vet was in tears last night. She was the conduit that brought Keeper to us 11 years ago and knew Keeper as a puppy . . . . and then helped us yesterday at the end. She went home and logged onto the website and that opened the floodgates yet again. She has a hard job sometimes.
We're obviously not the first people to lose a dog or two. You can see that in this thread. It's pain well-shared. A fellow in our office will lose one of his black labs by Christmas. One lady in Australia leaving a message for us has lost four in the last year. It happens to everyone and will probably happen again to ourselves.
Life goes on.
When the snow clears though, a decade-old habit of carving trails out in our yard will reveal itself once more, a daily reminder, into the far future if cattle trails are any indication, of those who once walked there. I like that.
Thank you again.
Cowperson