R.I.P. Puppy

Yesterday was a day of milestones for the Comber family. Harrison pooped in the toilet without having an accident for the first time, a potty-training victory! Libby turned 8 weeks old and has been smiling and cooing like a champ. And, our Harrison learned his first lesson about loss.

I noticed Puppy was very still while I was preparing Harrison's lunch (ironically, lunch was leftover shrimp.) As the smell of the sea drifted from our oven, Puppy's unnaturally curved body caught my eye. I moved his bowl, Puppy's body moved with the current, fins still, his face turned toward the water's surface. I called Matt. When he answered, I could only say one word.

"Puppy."

"Oh no."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"How do I tell Harrison?"

After discussing the possible ways to break the news, I decided to tell Harrison after lunch. The idea of shrimp made me nauseous. I made two plates, and after taking a bite, I threw out my portion and sat back in my chair wondering how Harrison would take the news and thinking about what may have caused this untimely end. The bowl was clean. We fed him regularly. The temperature...oh. The temperature. The temperature in our house had dropped dramatically the night before. We hadn't turned on the heat until that morning.

After Harrison had finished his lunch, he sat in his chair licking ketchup off his finger. He put a dot of ketchup on his nose, looked over at me, and laughed.

"Harrison?"

"What?"

"Puppy died."

"Oh." he laughed again and put more ketchup on his nose. Then, he stopped. His bottom lip jutted out, and he began to process the news. Then he began to cry. "But, I will miss him."

Harrison ran to me, tears streaming down his face, and hugged me tight. "I love you, Mommy."

After holding him a bit, I talked to Harrison about burying Puppy in the front yard. We bundled Libby, put her in the car seat, and went outside. The garden frog sits near the front door and his name is Jeremy Fisher. Harrison decided to bury Puppy next to Jeremy and we went to work digging the hole together.

"Goodbye Puppy." I said.

"I will miss you." Said Harrison.

****

We all miss Puppy. Harrison still goes into the kitchen and looks over where Puppy's bowl used to be. Puppy was a great first pet, despite the brief time he was with us.

Puppy Nemo Comber
Rest In Peace
Beloved Fish and Inspiration
March 2008-October 7, 2008