“Practice makes perfect.”
No it doesn’t.
“It gets easier with time.”
No it doesn’t.
“Time heals all wounds.”
No it doesn’t.
I’ve tried this “exercise” six times before and I still wake up sore as hell. I’m not getting any better at this. In fact, I think I’m actually getting worse. And I’m certainly not looking forward to doing this eight more times.
What am I talking about?
Cathy and I had to help our Allie Boo cross the rainbow bridge last night.
Yeah, she was getting old (the picture above is her as a puppy, 12 years ago.) and sometimes a bit cranky, but we were blind-sided by the decision we had to make.
After spending a few hours with very dear friends, Cathy and I returned to our home to find that Allie had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. In recent weeks we had been nursing her various, what we thought, were minor ailments that just needed time to heal.
She was in pain, weak, and suffering. We rushed her to an emergency vet hospital. Her belly felt like a water balloon. It should never feel like that. Diagnostic tests indicated cancer of the spleen with severe internal bleeding.
We kissed her goodnight as a doctor made her pain go away. And thus began our grieving.
On the long and quiet drive home a wicked chill shivered through my entire body.
It was Allie. “I made it. Albert, Steele, Kanga, Cousteau, Little Guy, and Marci all say, ‘Hello and they miss you.'”
***
Kaya is a Husky/Akita mix. She is not from the same purebred bloodlines as our Samoyeds. She is a rescue dog from the streets of Brooklyn. She is different. She is unique. She is an adopted and equally loved family member.
For the past several weeks, Cathy and I have watched Allie strengthen her bond with Kaya, the youngest and most recent addition to our pack.
We would watch in wonder as Allie was systematically passing the torch to her.
Somehow, Allie knew.
When Cathy and I arrived home from the vet, Disco (Allie’s son) was disoriented and confused. He paced and whined, looking for Allie. He didn’t understand that she was gone. The other dogs were less bothered, except for Kaya.
We laid a towel, that we used for transporting Allie, in the middle of our living room floor. Almost immediately, Kaya sniffed it and lay down on top of it.
Somehow, she knew Allie was gone.
Somehow, she knew that she was now the pack leader,
Somehow, Cathy and I have learned to accept the consequences of choosing dogs and cats as our sons and daughters.
Somehow, we will see the rainbow at the end of the bridge.
We love you Boo Boo! Have a good time.
Be Kind. Be Thankful. Be Significant.
Peter
