| When I named Clementine, I could not
get the fear out of my mind that her song "Oh My Darlin',
Clementine" would come true... that she would somehow be lost and
gone forever. Well, when Amy and I were at a conference in Phoenix,
she and Winston got out of the yard and she was gone. Winston waited
on the porch, but Clementine left. We flew home early from Phoenix
and upon arriving in Abilene at 11:00 p.m. I began walking the
streets looking for her. That was Friday. She was nowhere to be
found. Amy and I drove all over our part of Abilene looking for and
listening for a glimpse or a bark, but there were none. I went to
Kinko's the next morning and had fliers made up with her picture in
color so anyone would recognize her if they had seen her. I went to
business after business asking if they would put one in their
window. Looking back, I am amazed how many actually allowed me to
put them up in their stores. I remember going into a Skinny's (like
a 7-11) and the girl behind the counter said it would be OK. I
remember thinking she or the manager would take it down after I
left, but they didn't. On Sunday night we received a call from
someone who said, "I think we have your dog." They had seen the
flier in the Skinny's. I had offered a large reward and I know that
is why they called, but I want to think they just wanted to get my
dog back to me. Amy and I took off to their house. Clementine had
gone across four of the busiest streets in Abilene and made it
safely. When we got her, I was a few dollars short ($50 or $60, I am
not sure) for the reward, and I told them I would bring it by the
next day. I thought they would say not to worry about it but they
didn't, so I took it by the next day.
It felt great. Both Winston and
Clementine were home, and we had proven the songwriter wrong. That
is until last night. Clementine, over the last 4-5 months, had
slowly been leaving us a little bit at a time. We had friends over
Sunday night for burgers, and she never moved. She still had been
following us from room to room, even if we had to help her off of
the wood floors. She still wanted to be in the same room as we were.
For the last five days she had not eaten anything, and I knew it was
a matter of time, nothing more... just time. Amy and I had been
feeding her scrambled eggs, canned chicken breast, hamburger meat,
canned dog food, ice cream, peanut butter sandwiches, cereal,
cheese, rice, and chips trying to give her a little more time. I
stayed home with her yesterday and we talked about the things we had
done together... places we had been, and times she, Winston, and I
had been out to the Club. You see, she and Winston were best of
friends, and I really think she began dying the day he did, three
years ago.
Amy and I watched the Rangers' game
last night with her on the floor beside Amy. I went to bed at 10:00
and prayed that God would take her last night so I would not have to
make the decision I had been fighting for weeks. I can't remember
what I was dreaming about as I seldom remember dreaming at all, when
Amy awakened me around 12:30 this morning. She said she had been up
with her for an hour and that it was time... that same thing we were
trying to give her more of was upon us... it was now time... I was
angry that Amy had that precious time with her and I did not. I sat
down beside her and rubbed her back and cried. She was now in pain
as Amy had said... it was now time. So, last night around 1:30 I
made that horrific decision and Clementine had finally fulfilled the
words of the songwriter as she was now "lost and gone forever, oh my
darlin' Clementine."
H. Allen Botkin
Abilene, TX |
