Heartbroken

Our Blenheim Cavalier named Annabel passed away this past Saturday night/Sunday morning at the boarding place while we were out of town. She would've been 10 years old on April 6th. We've been looking forward to her birthday all year. Seriously, we've been excited about it since January.

My wife and I are heartbroken, and are going through the guilt phase of grief. We were scheduled to get back on Saturday morning, but our flight was cancelled. We were rebooked for a flight that would've gotten us home at 4 pm, but we would have been stuck in an airport for 7 hours.

So, we chose a later Saturday flight to spend the afternoon with her parents, but that flight was ALSO cancelled. We didn't leave until Sunday morning when we got the call.

We feel terrible that Annabel spent her final hours in a kennel at a boarding place when she should've been at home with us. We're worried that she was frightened and alone, but the vet said that they think she passed away peacefully.

Also, she always got what they called "the luxury suite" with a large kennel, larger bed and a larger blanket. She also got to have free roam of the place because she was so special and loved everyone.

I have to remind myself that she wasn't saying "why aren't they here to help me", and that she was loved so much. We moved from the East Coast to the Mountain West when she was a baby, and she traveled the whole country with us. She was our travel buddy, and we feel like we've lost a child.

Thanks for reading, and for any encouraging thoughts you choose to share.