# My Beloved Abbey



## AwfulQuiet (May 15, 2002)

My beloved Abbey left us tonight

She was my best friend... My best companion... I miss her dearly... She had the softest ears... the gentlest nose.... and loved to eat anything and everything I ate..

I can still hear her footsteps in the hallway... the sounds of her laying down in bed and the ringing noise of her collar medallion hitting the tile in the kitchen.. The look in her eyes as she begged food from the table..

I haven't cried in over 20 years.... My god I miss her...


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## Melodie A (Aug 13, 2008)

I am so sorry. I wish I could say something that would make you feel better, just know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.


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## elly1210 (Jan 4, 2009)

hugs, I am so very sorry.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

Sorry for your loss.


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## samralf (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm sorry for your loss.


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## AnnaRiley (Feb 14, 2008)

Bless Abby and you. This is hard for you and no one can know what you are feeling but most have experienced the same. Peace be with you soon.


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## Remo (Sep 8, 2004)

She was a beautiful dog. I am so sorry for your loss.


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## AwfulQuiet (May 15, 2002)

Thanks to eveyone...

Having know my dear Abbey only 8 short years, I have been thinking a lot of what she taught me. I hope at least one person won't make the same mistakes I did.


Whatever they want, give it to them... You could probably stand to lose a few pounds anyway 

Hug and kiss them each day.. If you're lucky you'll only get to do that a few thousand times...

Anytime that want to be scratched or hugged, stop what you're doing and give in.

Never be too stressed or too tired to take them for a long, long walk. There's nothing more important. You may not see it then, but you will eventually.

If you're going somewhere, take them with you. They're an integral part of your family. There's always room in the car.

And no matter what your dog does, don't be too harsh. They'll always forgive you, but when they're gone, you won't be able to forgive yourself. 

I regretted each time I raised my voice or was cross with my dear Abbey, I regret it even more now.


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

i am so sorry to hear about your loss. abbey was loved and cared for deeply by you and knew she was in a good place!


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## k9sarneko (Jan 31, 2007)

I am so very sorry for your loss of this beautiful girl. She was a lucky girl to have been loved so very much by her humans. Many hugs to you at this difficult time.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I am very sorry to hear about Abbey. I hope you will be able to find comfort in the memories of all of the good times your shared together.


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## sd3567 (May 16, 2005)

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I am so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful girl she was. Cherish your memories.


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

I love the 2nd pic of Abbey. Shes beautiful. 

You are so right about what you said, I still remember the last time we walked by the SUV and Sashi stopped and acted like can we go for a short ride








They just dont live long enough. 
RIP Abbey and know that you were loved and now missed.


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## LuvourGSDs (Jan 14, 2007)

I'm so very sorry for your loss.









She was such a pretty girl & that pic with her ears back looks just like our Sable.

You have opened my eyes about what you said, take time for them.









Only 8 yrs, may I ask what happened ?

So sorry once again...........


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## ninhar (Mar 22, 2003)

I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Abbey.


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## AwfulQuiet (May 15, 2002)

> Originally Posted By: LuvourGSs
> Only 8 yrs, may I ask what happened ?


Thanks... She was much older than 8 years... now that I think back, I should amend the dates in my sig. 

Essentially she was abandoned by her previous owners in a local forest/mountain range in France. 

Back towards the end of October 2000 when I was jobless, a friend offered to pay me 50 bucks a day to help him rebuild their ancient farm house high in the Jura mountains (we're talking lost in the middle of nowhere in the mountains in France).

His name is Christian and has an kindly wife named Lindsey. They breed Golden Retrievers, Lindsey also teaches dog obedience, and they have a huge kennel attached to the house. She is considered the local dog expert by the neighbours (rightly so), so if there was a problem with a dog in the area, you called them.

After working on their house that day, I was invited to dinner that evening. After a giant meal of raclette, potatoes and white wine (and just before dessert) we got a call around 9pm from one of the people in the area. They had found a dog that had been roaming around for the past few days, and as they had to leave early the next morning, would they mind taking the dog that evening and transferring it to the animal shelter the next day? The person that found the dog was a bit scared as she was a big dog...

Being a large strapping lad of 24, I went over with my friend to the caller's house... It was near freezing outside.

The first time I saw my beloved Abbey, she was attached to long, thin chain, that was then safely secured to a giant front-end loader. She was dirty, raggedy, stick thin with her ribs showing, and bounding with energy.. As we came near the house, she jumped up and wagged her tail with her ears back. She stared at me with a look of pure love and wanting.. The caller had given her some dog food and a giant bowl of water.

After we went into the house, we spoke with the person that found her, had a few glasses of white wine (it's a French thing) and then went back outside to take the dog with us. She didn't put up a struggle and we easily piled her into the back of my friend's blue Ford Explorer. Arriving back at the farm house, she was put in her own section of the kennel with 3ft high walls on three sides, away from all the other dogs and right near the front door.

I guess you would call it love at first site... Or she really knew a sucker when she saw one. She attached herself to me immediately.. That evening and the whole of the next day, every time I walked into the kennel to check on her, she jumped up with her paws on the tops of the walls and stared at me, panting heavily. I would give her a scratch on the head each time.. She didn't do this with anyone else.. 

Over dessert that same evening, Lindsey was joking that the dog outside was "my dog". I spent the night sleeping on a mattress on the kitchen floor, and the next day I got back to work on the house. I expressed a slight interest in maybe adopting the dog.. Lindsey lent me a book on successfully owning a dog (I can't remember the name of the author, or the book, only that he had died of cancer a few years earlier.. I think it may have been Dog Wise) My friend drove me home the next day ( I didn't have a working car at the time) and they took the dog to the local Dog Shelter (Société pour le protection des animaux).

I went to visit Abbey several times in the shelter, took her for walks in the famer's fields around the shelter.

After waiting 30 days after she arrived at the shelter, due to laws on letting an owner find a lost dog, I adopted Abbey as my very own on November 25th, 2000. 5 Days before I turned 25 and 11 days before I landed my first real job.

Lindsey told me that shelter had tried to find information on the tattoo in her ear, but it was partly smudged so they couldn't read it (Although I think that Lindsey didn't want me to know who the previous owner was lest I do something unwise).. So, she said the Shelter Vet estimated that Abbey was 3 to 4 years old at the time that I adopted her, meaning she was born in 1996 or 1997. Her official birthday on her paperwork was Jan 1, 1997.

The Shelter had already given her all her shots and had a vet check her out. She was in perfect health, albeit a bit thin, but hated the shelter. The day I picked her up, Lindsey was with me. We took Abbey to the local vet office and gave her a bath from the tips of her ears to the very bottoms of the pads on her paws.. She hated every second of it, but she looked great afterwards!

In a sense, I didn't go looking for Abbey, she found me.. Which for me makes it all the much harder now that she's gone.

Abbey, you taught me so much. You gave me so much. I'm deeply sorry for each time that I failed you. 

RIP my sweet angel..


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## Mary Jane (Mar 3, 2006)

Gosh, falling in love in France-it's a beautiful story and all the more beautiful because it's true.

I'm very sorry for your loss and very touched by your bond.

Mary Jane


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## kshort (Jun 4, 2004)

Are you a writer? If not, you should be... Your story moved me to tears and it was beautifully written. I seriously doubt that your Abbey ever thought you let her down. I know many times when I need to run a quick errand, it's such a hassle to load up dogs, but rarely do I not do it because I feel bad leaving them behind. Your story was a reminder to continue doing that. And to not get impatient with a 15 month old puppy when I'm trying to get something done and he'd rather play. And to speak more gently to him when he's being a real pain in the arse.

Your Abbey was a very lucky girl to have found you. It was a match made in heaven. I'm so sorry for your loss and completely understand the pain you're feeling, as many here do... I think someday Abbey will send you another to love. It will be a different love because it will be a different soul. But you have an abundance to give and I know she wouldn't want you to be sad or lonely.

You and your Abbey will meet again, but until then, I know she's there with you, watching over her beloved dad...


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## cainsmomma (Jan 29, 2006)

I am so sorry for your loss. She was such a pretty girl. I know how hard it is. I just lost Jaxx in Dec. Remember, you will be with her again. My thoughts and prayers are with you.


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

Abbey was a beautiful girl and I am so sorry for your loss.


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## AwfulQuiet (May 15, 2002)

Thanks again everyone, and thanks Kris... I appreciate all of your comforting thoughts and wishes, more than you may know..

I'm not a professional writer, I do use my writing for a living (I'm in marketing/communication), but I can only write like that when I have the proper inspiration..

I'm glad I could be of help here so no one makes the mistakes I think I did, goes to show just how much Abbey taught me and continues to teach me. 

They're ever so precious, and the world asks ever so much of us.. The balance is somewhere in-between, hopefully closer to the fuzzy side of life.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Such a happy, dear, sweet, beautiful, spoiled, wonderfully LOVED girl was your Abbey. May she rest in peace.







May you also find some comfort right now. Wishing you the best as you go through this time.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Oh my goodness I am so sorry. It sounds like Abbey was a wonderful freind and I know you will miss her for many years to come. Be comforted that you were there when she needed a home and a friend and that she had a great life with you.

She is watching you from the other side of the bridge and will wait for you.


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

I am so sorry for your loss. She was a lovely dog.


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## elsie (Aug 22, 2001)

i'm so sorry for your loss.


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## vjt555 (Nov 14, 2003)

Beautiful story. I am so sorry for your loss.


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## Skye'sMom (Jul 11, 2004)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Abby was a beautiful, much loved girl.


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