Maria Henry Gay recently found herself having to communicate some really difficult news to her son, Robbie. After taking the family’s dog, Buffy, to the vet for a scheduled teeth-cleaning, tests, unfortunately, showed that the dog had advanced kidney failure.
Before making any major decisions, Maria went to Robbie’s school and signed him out so that they could discuss putting Buffy down.
Mom Shares Poignant Thoughts Her Son Had After Learning They Had to Put Their Dog Down
“On the way there, he told me he wanted to be the one to hold her when she went to Heaven,” Maria shared with her Facebook followers about Robbie’s reaction to the news. “And of course, I gave him that honor. On the way home, I told him how proud I was of him for understanding the importance of caring for old animals and helping to make sure they never ever suffer.”
Robbie, who had been adopted out of the foster care system after years of abuse and neglect, according to CafeMom, gave a thoughtful response to the difficult news. “I know how it feels not to be loved and cared for and I don’t want any animal of mine to ever feel that way.”
Robbie told his mom, “It’s only sad for us when they go to heaven. It’s a happy day for them. Thank you for being proud of me.”
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The family has adopted a number of senior dogs over the years, so, unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that they have had to put an animal down. “Robbie LOVES adopting senior dogs,” his mom continued.
“He is sadly aware the longer a child remains in foster care the less likely they are to be adopted. He told me once ‘if all you guys had wanted was a baby, you would have never gotten me.’ He relates to our ‘old people ‘ (that’s what we call our senior dogs) in much the same way.”
In addition to the story, Maria shared an emotional photo of Robbie crying over his lost dog. The heartfelt Facebook post has since been shared nearly 200,000 times.
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