Mommy, something terrible has happened...

Mommy, something terrible has happened...

Followed by muffled crying, rapid breathing, and then silence.
“Ringo fell into the pool and he isn’t breathing”
“Is your daddy there?”
“Yes, we are going to take him to the dog hospital – but he’s not breathing, and stuff is coming out of his mouth”
“I will meet you there”
…
Ringo died last night. He was 12 years old. We bought him right before our first daughter was born – to prove to ourselves that we could raise something without messing up. He became our oldest daughter’s dog and has been a part of the family forever – until last night.
…
“I’m so sorry. We attempted CPR and administered epinephrine – we tried for 10 minutes. He didn’t have a heartbeat and we couldn’t revive him. We are so sorry.”
…
This is followed by crying – more tears than I have seen since Poppie died. My ex-husband announced that this is yet another chapter of his life closed – he is inconsolable. We all feel alone and sad.
…
I miss my dog.