Slow Down!

Early this morning as I was setting and checking my emails, my dog Itsey started just throwing the biggest fit. I yelled at her a couple of times and she would not settle down, it wasn't the "I need to go out" attention, but was acting like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. I had just picked her up to see if I could some how calm her down and there was a knock at my door. As I went to the entry way I could see my sweet new neighbor at the door and I could tell something was terrably wrong.
As she sobbed, my first fear was her husband...and as she finally got the words out...Sweetie...
Sweetie has been hit! As she caught her breath, I said, Let me call my vet... and I will grab the truck..I was running for the phone..."they hit her, she is dead", "WHY do they have to drive so fast on this lane??!!" As my eyes begin to fill with tears, my heart ached for her. It had only been a fews years back when my dog had been hit out front from someone speeding by. Sweetie was a 100 lb. White Lab. I called the neighbor boys a few houses down to come help me load Sweetie into the back of our truck. As my new neighbor cried, and asked the boys to be careful, these two great young men slowly lifted and covered her dog as if it were the finest of crystal.
My new neighbor explained that she would like to take her to the vet to be cremated, and so I dove as she went through all the emotions of grief...disblief, ANGER,and acceptance.
This big dog was her buddy, her fishing companion, and a part of her family.

Now, I know why Itsey was pitching a fit...she knew before I did something terrible had just changed our little neighborhood lane.