Missing my Tobie!

As we prepare for our move to Japan there are numerous checklists being followed.  We have had to get medical clearance, dental clearance, passports for all of us, and all the procedures taken care of for our dog Tobie, to be quarantined so he can get clearance too.  We have worried about how our puppy will handle this whole process since he isn't really a puppy, he's 12 years old!  He has been poked, prodded and microchipped but that was the easy part.  He has to be placed in a crate for the flight to Japan obviously but here's the kicker: once he is placed in that crate in NY he will not be taken out until 28 hours later once we land in Japan!  That means no food or water other than what we initially place in there and no going to the bathroom unless it is in the crate.  This breaks my heart!  He was my baby before we had babies, he was mine before he was "ours".  And the last thing I want to put him through is the torture of being squeezed into a tiny crate and forced to stay there for 28 hours.  He is old and has hip issues and this trip is not going to be easy for his old bones!!

So I was talking to my mom about my concerns and she threw out the idea of her and my dad taking him for us while we are in Japan for 3 years.  My first reaction was to absolutely say yes and take her up on this offer but upon further pondering it made me really sad.  This solves the problem of the crate issue but I hate to pawn him off on someone else and expect them to take care of him the way we do.  Not to mention how much we would miss him and how much the kiddos adore him and him, them!  He is so much a member of our family that I can't even imagine our lives without him. 

After much discussion with my husband we decided that we need to put our selfish needs aside and do what is best for Tobie.  And what's best for him is to leave him with my parents who will love him and care for him just as we do.  Because not only does he have to make it there, he has to make it back to the states 3 years later and 3 years older, putting him at 15 if he makes it that long.

That was the reasoning behind our last road trip.  To take Tobie to my parents- sigh!  This made me so sad!  I cried in the car on the way there every time I let myself think about the fact that he wouldn't be returning with us.  I even forgot to bring his bed and his food bowls because my mind wasn't thinking about him not coming back when we left.  When we did leave to come home and had to say our goodbyes, it was heartbreaking.  My 2 oldest were crying and I was a hot mess, it was not pretty.  Now that I am home I catch myself calling him to come upstairs to bed and tears fill my eyes when I go to check if he has enough water.  I didn't realize how hard this would be until we had to do it.  I miss my puppy and my hubby didn't even get to tell him bye.  So marking that off the checklist was not an easy thing to do!