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If you ever love a dog, there are three days in your life you will always remember....
The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend.
You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter--simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring your chosen dog home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush against you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come.
The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other.
Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep when you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.
And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you--you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.
If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you. But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size than your own--seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come. And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg—very, very lightly And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lay--you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart--As time passes the ache will come and go as if it has a life of its own. You will reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.
But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when--along with the memory of your pet--and piercing through the heaviness in your heart--there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love--like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this Love will remain and grow--and be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our Beloved Pets--it is a Love we will always possess and cherish.
That's beautiful. And yeah, it made me tear up. I have a little stuffed Cavalier in my truck. Had it for probably 10 years. My best buddy Beau's been gone for over a year now, but I still say hello to that silly toy every time I get in.
I love this and find every word to be true. Thank you for posting this. I plan on sharing it with friends and family who've had the same kind of love for their pets.
You are welcome. It should be shared with others. Most pet owners will go through a loss of their pet at some point. While it is sad and it does hurt, we will get through it and hopefully have many pets during our life.
OP, some here are assuming you are the author of what you posted. It appears it was written by Martin Scot Kosins. If you quote something here, you need to credit the author.
I know how much it hurts. I am sorry you have lost two of your beloved pets. I lost one of my dogs in October 2019 and in May. Now my 4 year old Pit bull has mast cell tumors. I am heartbroken. I hope your heart heals from your loss, and you enjoy many years with your new dog.
What a beautiful thread this is..... It speaks mountains!!
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