My friend, Krista, said goodbye to her precious Gracie yesterday. Gracie was in her family for 12 years and helped Krista and her husband raise four children. She loved her squeeky toys, and her bark was bigger than her bite as she mastered the role of ‘pseudo guard dog’ upon initial greeting. Before you could blink she’d curl up next to you. Everybody loved Gracie.
Losing a ‘pet’ is often given too little emotional weight – these creatures are not ‘replaceable’, and I pray friends and family appropriately grieve when this situation occurs. It’s natural to mourn when we lose our beloved four-pawed companions. It calls for the jolt of ‘a new normal‘ in our lives. Gracie, you will be missed.
A trip down memory lane is in order for those of us who have experienced the loss of a furry friend…Today, Gracie reminds me about my past losses.
Mindy was our first family pup. She joined us when I was eleven and passed due to cancer during my first year of college. There was a strange void when I came home for a visit after she was gone.
It was years later when my heart welcomed ‘Mr. Murray’; he was the first pup who claimed me as ‘mom’. Murray was a party dog and an enthusiastic Canine Assistant. He retrieved everything from keys to dollar bills for me and was the office mascot who sometimes took the role of Santa’s helper in the lobby at Christmas. Murray, in my opinion, is the reason that my dog-whisperer husband, Brent, noticed me. He loves animals and had Boone, a black lab, when we met. It was a match made in doggie heaven.
Boone was loyal, loyal, loyal. He was Brent’s dog through and through, and he was my adopted little one when we married. For over ten years he served as a therapy dog at Eggleston Children’s Hospital and he claimed the foot of our queen-size bed until his last days.
Awwww. Now it’s just Tahoe!
Gracie, Mindy, Murray and Boone you are missed. Thank you for your display of unconditional love and acceptance. The world would be a better place if humans could be as kind, forgiving and accepting as you were.
For those who grieve and face ‘a new normal‘ – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Thanks for sharing the pictures Madge. I remember Mindy. We lost our dog Murphy about 4 years ago and I still miss him. I love reading your blog. Keep it up!
Diana -Great to hear from you. So sad to lose our pups. Funny you remember Mindy! I almost posted a picture of Brian with her – and his hair:). You would have loved that one. Brian will be here over Thanksgiving – we’d love for you to come by if you get a chance.
oh my goodness Madge, this post and the photos of those precious pups bring tears to my eyes…Mike and I so love animals. Every once in a while we remind each other that we’re giving all 4 of our pups and our crazy cat a good life. It feels a little rewarding to be able to make another living thing happy.
(I go from calm to boiling when someone says: It’s just a dog) ‘:)
love to you
Oh, and I loved hearing a little about you and Brent and your delightful beginning w/ 2 pups! I’d love to read more of your love story!
Yes! I appreciate your encouragement! The pups are our babies for sure! You know, I’ve written a good bit about my accident (that I haven’t posted), but not as much about our love story…dogs/babies and love stories are the best reading, right? That is besides your yummy recipes! So appreciate you.