Penny has Cushings!!! — Sweet Penny is now free

[Joan2517]

Jeff, I am so sad to read this news. From following all of your posts about Penny it’s clear how loved she was, and how much she loved you. She was a sweetheart, that’s for sure...many, many hugs to you and your family.

[Joan2517]

The pictures are adorable, Jeff. I couldn't look at them yesterday, I was crying too hard...it's beautiful to see the love our dogs give to our children, or in my case, grandchildren. They accept them as part of their family. I hope you are okay this morning, the first day without them is so hard, so quiet, so empty. You and your family are in my thoughts. Your daughter is beautiful and it's lovely to know that Penny had a chance to love her...

[labblab]

Dear Jeff, I actually read your news yesterday, but I was just not able to find the words to write to you until today. Over the years, your description of your family’s journey with Penny has been one of the most touching that I’ve ever read, and I wish I had words of my own to do justice to your loss. But the main word that I can think of is “Gratitude.” I know how grateful your entire family is to Penny, and I know how grateful we are that you’ve shared her life, and her sweetness, and her spirit with us here. After I finish this note, I’ll be adding Penny’s name to our special memorial thread of honor. There she’ll join all our other angels, to be loved and cherished always.

Given all your wonderful pictures that you’ve posted over time, I’ll contact you later to see if there’s one in particular that you’d like for us to link to Penny’s memorial line. How incredibly precious it is to see Penny and Sadie together. Like you, I’m so very glad that they’ve had this time together. It is just so special and dear.

Finally, Jeff, I’m so grateful you took the time to come back to tell us what has happened. You’ve been (and are) such a wonderful and loving dad, and we’ll miss hearing your reports on your sweet girl. But please know that we’ll always welcome you back at any time in the future, to talk about anything. You all are part of our K9C family, and will always remain so.

Sending tons of hugs to you and to all your family there, today and everyday. We’ll always be here for you all, in loving memory of dearest Penny. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for her, and for enriching our own spirits here.

Marianne

[PennysDad]

Just when I thought I was done crying fo the day! Thanks so much. You are all the family I wish I never had to find!

I'll try to find a picture for her place on the wall. Too risky at work to start running through old photos, pretty sure I would lose it. I'll do my best to hop in over the years and offer my support and love to you and all the newcomers. Find this place, years ago, really was the first step in my mourning process for Penny and it made putting her down soo much more manageable. As I was walking out of the Vet's office Monday night, I knew reaching out to you all would make this process more bearable.

In case you really want to have some feelings, I have a picture for you of my daughter last night. It is amazing how much these kids understand, even if they don't have the words to describe them. When Sadie was saying bye to Penny, she hugged her, climbed around to her face, looked her square in the eyes and said "bye". Penny gave her a lick and that was it, Sadie was back off to the races. We made sure we told Sadie that Penny was gone, that she died and wouldn't be coming back...That this is part of life and it is OK to be sad and miss her. It felt like more practice for us than a lesson for my baby.

Then yesterday, when it came time to feed the dogs, Sadie walked over to the shelf and did this...



Thanks again for everything, Ill try and find a picture that best shows Penny.

Jeff

[Squirt's Mom]

Dear Jeff,

Penny and you have come to mean so much to us all. It has been an honor to walk through this journey with the two of you for the past four years. We were able to watch her become a healthier Penny as you became a healthier Jeff - both gifts that I will cherish always. The bond between the two of you was obvious and I have no doubt you helped each other gain the strength and courage you needed to face any and every obstacle that came your way. And I know she is watching over you right now sending you constant reminders of the love you shared. It is my personal belief that we will one day be with our precious fur babies once again. Until that day Penny will continue to watch over you, your wife, and your precious Sadie with such joy and pride and gratitude in her huge heart. Sadie may not actually remember Penny but she will be able to look at those sweet, sweet pics and know she has an angel waiting on her as well as she grows and continues her journey thru life, a life I am confident will be filled with serenity, courage, and wisdom by her dad.

Thank you so much for sharing Penny with us all these years and allowing us to go with you as you found your path forward. And thank you for coming back to let us know about our girl's passing.

My deepest sympathies,
Leslie

A Blessing For Absence
by John O'Donohue
(an excerpt from Eternal Echoes)

May you know that absence is full of tender presence

and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten.

May the absences in your life be full of eternal echo

May you sense around you the secret Elsewhere which holds

the presences that have left your life.

May you be generous in your embrace of loss.

May the sore of your grief turn into a well of seamless presence.

May your compassion reach out to the ones we never hear

from and may you have the courage to speak out for the

excluded ones.

May you become the gracious and passionate subject of your own life.

May you not disrespect your mystery through brittle words or false belonging.

May you be embraced by God in whom dawn and twilight

are one and may your longing inhabit its deepest dreams

within the shelter of the Great Belonging.

[molly muffin]

Jeff, I am so very sorry to ready of the loss of Penny. What a great girl she was and how many adventures you and she shared during the years, the good ones and the bad one. The bad ones that you came through together and turned into something wonderful.
I know her passing leaves a hole in your world, but the love you had for her is what will always be there and fill that hole.
She was a gift and that gift never goes away.

Hugs