A Tribute to Sadie: God's gift for whom we give thanks

    Before we were married Teresa and I shared a desire to have children after at least a couple of years, and that we did. However as with many, we discovered that this might not be possible for us. After a series of tests, we were told that there was about a 50/50 chance that we would not conceive. Infertility was something we did not expect but the reality we were possibly facing.
    We were crushed and discouraged, but we also wanted to be able to care for someone or something and share the lives with which God had blessed us.  So we went to the pound and looked around. After a few visits, we found Sadie, or should I say Sadie found us.  A wonderfully cute, 10 week old Shepherd/Retriever mix captured our hearts, and upon entrance to our home, captured and took over just about everything we had and every room, including our bedroom! Sadie was a wonderful, playful, joy-filled puppy who loved to exercise with me, protect us from strangers, and give us lots and lots of love.
    Interesting enough, soon after we got Sadie, our prayers were answered, and we found out we were pregnant with our first child, a son who was the object of Sadie's care and attention.  Subsequently, she shared the same relationship with another son and eventually a daughter.  The Tate family has known no life without canine companionship.
    Nine and a half years later, on December 26, 2008, however, this changed.  We took a vacation to Florida the week after Christmas, and we knew Sadie would love a week of vacation on my in-law's dairy farm in North Carolina. It was a perfect place for her to run, play, and explore, only when we reached our destination, we received a frantic call from my mother-in-law telling us that Sadie was gone. She had gone out and not come back. Despite searches, calls, and food on the porch, Sadie was nowhere to be found.
    It was then that I first felt the sting that comes from the absence of our first "child."  We were in Florida trying to make the best of it, while our hearts remained connected with our four legged friend and love. At the end of the week we sped to North Carolina and looked for ourselves. We road the roads, called her name, and prayed. We prayed and we prayed that she would come out of the woods. We prayed and prayed that she had not been shot as a nuisance dog or that a pack of dogs had not killed her. After all, she was alone in the country with no one and nothing to protect her.
    One of the hardest things I have ever done was to drive home without her.  Though certainly not on the same level, I felt a touch of what it must be like when a child goes missing. We felt an emptiness and frustration that leaned toward desperation.  Our minds raced and our hearts ached, for our friend and family member was out there somewhere, and we couldn't do a thing about it. We prayed some more. Every night, each of our children prayed for Sadie – for her protection, comfort, and return.
    Devastated and wanting to take some control, as well as take care of another, we went to the Humane Society and picked out Chloe, a 2 year old, Chow/Husky mix.  Her personality and looks were very different than Sadie's, which was good, and we fell in love with her. After 2 visits we brought her to her new home and have been  blessed ever since.
    On February 9, 2009, nine weeks after she went missing we received a call from an unknown number. The night before our children had prayed for her again, while my wife and I were pretty sure she was gone. The area code indicated that it came from North Carolina. My wife answered the phone and a voice said, "Can I speak to Sadie Tate?" My wife responded, "Sadie is our dog, and she is no longer with us." The woman on the other end of the line said, "Well I have her. My children are feeding her hot dogs right now. She's not in great shape, but she is here."
    She was only 10 miles from the farm, where she'd made it into town, only a mile from where my mother-in-law worked. Immediately we called and her them know.  My mother-in-law got in the car and picked her up, while I jumped in the car and drove two hours to pick up the prodigal dog. Upon seeing her for the first time, it is amazing that she survived.  She had obviously broken her hind leg and the leg had healed an inch shorter. Later we would find out that this was a classic injury from being hit by a car. In addition to this, malnutrition was obvious.  Her previously 64 pound body returned to us 18 pounds lighter. She'd lost almost 1/3rd of her body weight, the gleam of gold in her coat, and the full plume of her tail, and her tendency to be "a grazer" when it came to food was forever lost for fear of hunger again.  But she was home, and all the way back she lay beside me, sleeping with her head on my lap.  Probably the first deep sleep she'd experienced in more than 2 months.
    Over time and with care she lived on. Her limp was pronounced, but she adapted. The weight she lost was not completely regained, but she was okay.  Healthy, all things considered, and happy to be home.
    Three years ago she survived another move, this time to the mountains of Roanoke, where we wondered if she'd be able to make it since the terrain was so taxing. But Sadie was a survivor, and after 6 months, she was navigating our steep yard like a champ.  God had saved her and kept her going, and for that we were and are thankful.                

    I've never had to make the decision to relieve the suffering of a pet...until today.  It’s an odd feeling mixed with second doubts, peace, hope, and a deep ache which is centered in the concept of “forever,” or at least a sense that this is forever.  However, I sure hope, and believe, that on the other side she’ll be waiting for me with a greeting and a wag of the tail.
    It was only 2 weeks ago that she began to have problems with incontinence, and the deafness and diminishment of sight only came about over the past year.  And though the arthritis got gradually worse since she was hit by the car, she still seemed to get around.  And even last night, she lumbered up the stairs to take the place she’d taken just about every night of her life, sleeping on the floor beside us.  Can it be possible that we needed to do this?
    Monday Dr. Bruce found a large mass in her abdomen.  We attempted to shrink it with some steroids, but it was not to be.  Her health was deteriorating quickly.  It was time, and we all knew it.  Teresa, the kids, Chloe, me, and I think even Sadie.  We all knew it, but it still wasn’t easy to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing just beforehand.  It was hard for Teresa and me to hold her as she went to sleep peacefully, and yet God assured us it was okay.

    There’s this often quoted saying, and rightfully so, that is shared in times of struggle.  It’s from Matthew’s Gospel, the eleventh chapter, and in it Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Through the love and support of family and friends this week, Jesus has given us rest, and even for this one whom we loved so deeply, Christ did the same.  We know this because we saw that peace just after she was gone.
    After we’d said our goodbyes, cried many tears, and gained the courage to take steps toward the door, Teresa and I turned back one more time and she said, “Look at her.  She looks like she’s laying on the end of the pier at Shady Side, looking out over the water at the sunset on the horizon.”  Shady Side is our family vacation spot, and the pier there was one of Sadie’s favorite places in the world.  Most mornings when we were there, she and I would make our way to the pier to watch the sun rise while I did my devotions, and many evenings we’d all sit and watch the sun set for the day.  Always, Sadie was with us, and always she was at peace...we were at peace.
    It is with thanksgiving and gratitude that that image and memory is etched in my mind.  She was at peace, and that brings me peace.  She had labored and was heavy laden, but she was given rest.  We have labored, and though our hearts are heavy, we are at rest, and in the midst of it all, is the One who brings that rest, who sustains the hope, and who is the source of all love.

    God provided for us a wonderful, loving first child, and God has cared for her.  In fact, God blessed us through her care for us.  For that, and for her, I give thanks.  Though we miss you, Sadie, we’ll always love and remember you.