CHICAGO

This is a pretty hard post to write. Actually I put off writing it for a couple of months because I just didn't one to so I just uploaded the pictures and left it blank. Guess it's time. But now that I'm thinking about it I probably won't write too many details because it's just so hard. - Toby had to leave to Colorado pretty early enough one morning that I wasn't even awake when he left. The night before we had wanted a smoothie so Toby had gone out to the garage to get the milk in the garage fridge since our regular fridge had none. He noticed that the garage door was up. Since Kristee was living with us he just assumed that she had forgot to shut it so he shut it figuring that Chicago was still in her pen where he had put her to bed just hours before. Elle had even come in our room and asked if Chicago was taken care of and Toby assured her she was. So he shut the garage, came to bed, we had our smoothie watched a show and fell asleep…then he left the next morning. I was awoken by Kristee coming into my room in tears. She said that when Toby left he had text her to say he went to take care of Chicago early in the morning and she wasn't there. He explained to her that the garage was left open so he knew she was just roaming around and may even be with animal control by now. He asked her to help me find her because he didn't want to miss his flight. Then through Kristee told me how she had been driving around looking for her and ran into an officer that said they had just found a black dog who had been hit. The dog hadn't made it. - I can't even begin to tell you how sick I was. I felt like throwing up. I didn't even know what to do. At that point Elle sensed what was going on and kept asking what was going on and looked so scared. I basically jumped in the car and started driving aimlessly praying that it wasn't Chicago and waiting for Animal Control to open so I could ask them. I called my parents bawling and saying what do I do what do i do? - well I finally got ahold of them and through tears begged them to tell me that the dog they picked up wasn't Chicago. It was. I haven't been that sick in a while. I'll spare the details of coming home. Telling Elle. Telling Cash. And then finally when Toby had text me over and over had we found her yet? Calling him and telling him the news. It was awful. He was a mess. He was so worried about Elle and I. He had just gotten off of the plain and was meeting up with his colleagues so they obviously could tell something was up. When he told them what had happened his boss immediately told him to get back on the plane and come help his family. I was so grateful. I didn't know what to do. Animal Control had told me to come get her or they could bury her themselves and I didn't want them to do that but I didn't know if I had it in me to go get her myself. The whole thing was just so awful. He ended up coming home and getting her and we drove her to Alpine where TJ had been amazing and had already dug a hole next to their creek in the backyard for us to bury her. Elle created a headstone for her with Grandpa Kathy's help and we had a nice little service for her. I was so grateful to TJ and Kathy for making horrible day more bearable for us. Oh it was just all so awful. We figured out in the end that Kristee had shut the garage but that Chicago had just run under it so it bounced back up. It was so hard and still is to think what was going through her mind that night. I try to avoid thinking about it. That next week or two was very difficult for us. We had so many friends reach out with thoughtful cards and flowers. We love Chicago. She never got the backyard she deserved. That thought hurt a lot too. It had been hard to drive up our driveway and not see her there. We had her 8 years. She was part of our family and will be dearly missed. Elle took it the hardest. She still gets teary talking about her. Kemp misses looking out the window at her and saying "cago". We are grateful for the knowledge we have that she will be in heaven with us. I really believe that. We love you sweet Chicago! We miss your smiling face. Thank you for the years of joy and happiness and for all the lessons of forgiveness and joy that you taught us.