A long, long time ago, when our girls were in their early elementary years, we adopted a beautiful three-year old Yellow Labrador dog named Sam, who had been abandoned on a busy street in town by his owner. Not only had he been unceremoniously dumped, but the shelter had been unable to find him a home, so he was slated for euthanasia. My incredibly big-hearted sister who volunteered with the shelter took him home rather than let him be destroyed, and contacted us about him. We took an immediate liking to Sam, and brought him home that day. He was an amazing and handsome dog, so loving and protective, and so forgiving of anything, especially little toddler nieces and nephews who inadvertently sat on him.
About a year later, we decided he needed a buddy. My sister told us about a beautiful Golden Retriever who was on a revolving door cycle at the shelter. The owner would run try to teach Jake, quite unsuccessfully I might add, to become a hunting dog, by using/abusing a shock collar. The man would completely lose patience and dump Jake at the shelter, and then when some time had passed and a cooler head prevailed, he would return for his dog. Well, the next time Jake was dropped, we received a call, and that day, he became a member of our family, and Sam’s best bud ever.
That was so long ago, and the years include so many happy memories, like the hike shown in the photo above. Our loyal dogs were with us to watch over our family, and especially the girls, as they grew into adulthood and left home. Almost two years ago, however, the tables turned, and it was our turn to watch over Sam, as his health had deteriorated, and his quality of life had reached a tipping point. Although it was difficult to say goodbye to him, we had been mentally preparing for the day for a long time. We were especially concerned about whether Jake would survive Sammydog’s loss. There was a short period when we didn’t think he would, and although he was never quite the same, Jake did settle into a comfortable and happy routine of his own.
Fast forward to this past Friday night. We had plans for the weekend, as most folks do, but they changed in a heartbeat on Saturday morning, when I awoke to find Jake having a seizure and a stroke. He went from being a friendly, goofy senior pet who would sometimes still race through the house for his beloved tennis ball to a partially paralyzed, confused and frightened dog who could barely wag his tail. The following twenty-four hours were filled with both hope and sorrow, as our gallant Retriever would slowly regain his some of his functions, and then he would slip backwards again. Yesterday morning, Jake was still unable and uninterested in drinking water, and his basic abilities were again diminished, so we tearfully made the difficult decision to call the vet. Our Jakey-Jake loved us unconditionally to the end, and we loved him as well. I am so grateful, not only to our vet who is always so thoughtful and tender with us and our four legged family members, but also for our girls, who happened to be visiting this weekend so we could be together to say goodbye to Jake, to celebrate the joy he brought us, and to support each other in our grief.
I share this glimpse into our private lives as a reminder that life can change abruptly, so you must take the time you have every day to let love into your life, and to let those around you know how much they mean to you. A heart that is closed tight certainly avoids the pain of loss, but I believe the greater loss is to have never shared your love at all. Take a moment today to let someone in your world know how much you love them.
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