When you lose a Love

It’s hard to put into words when you lose one of the great loves of your life. It’s hard to breathe, it hurts to swallow, it’s hard to get out of bed, and its hard to come home and continue through your normal everyday routine of life.

Especially when that love was a four-legged fur ball filled with an abundant amount of unconditional love. No matter how many times you walked past him with your arms filled with groceries, or how many times you were in a hurry to leave the house because you were late to get somewhere, or how many times their slobber dripped on your favorite skirt and you  got upset; their tail continuously wagged, their lips parted with their tongue hanging out as if they were constantly smiling at you, waiting for you to pat them on the head and say “I love you”.

That kind of love isn’t found very often. We, as humans worry every single day, about what we do, how we act, what we wear, and who we talk to; just to be liked, just to be loved, and just to be accepted. But, our dogs don’t care. Our dogs don’t care what type of handbag we carry, what designer we are wearing, what street we live on, what size house we live in, or what type of car we drive. All they care about is that you come home, you love them, you don’t beat or hurt them, and that you give them a little bit of your time, love and attention. That is all they need to know, that you are a good and decent person.

Dogs are the best judges of character. I have been around some wild and hyper dogs, and even some abused dogs, but they know, they sense when you are a good person. And I don’t just mean the kind that will bend down to pet them. I mean the kind of person that is good to the core; whatever that canine sense is, they know when a person is good or bad, and it allows them to calm down, or feel comfortable around that person.

One of my good friends sent me this poem, and I think it perfectly sums up a dog’s life versus that of a human’s life:

The reason why dogs don’t live as long as people according to a 6-year-old:

“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life. Like, loving everybody all the time, and being nice. Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

I don’t think I could have said it better myself. Dogs are perfect. There is not one judgmental bone in their bodies. If we could all take a note from dogs, and learn to love a little more unconditionally, fight a little less, run a little more, and take a few more afternoon strolls…then I think there would be a lot less abuse, a whole lot fewer divorces, and a lot less pettiness in the world.

I understand the loss of a pet to most isn’t quite as traumatic as the loss of a human family member. But when that pet was there for you at the lowest point of your life, when that pet reminded you, you HAD to get out of bed and function every day, and that pet reminded you that the evil that tore you down and brought you to that horrible place in your life wasn’t worth the tears you shed everyday…is like the loss of a human family member. Just because they aren’t in our lives for 50, 60, or 70 years, doesn’t make them any less important. So why are we expected to bounce back? Why are we expected to go to work, or go to school the next day, as if nothing has happened? Where is our bereavement time? Where is our time to mourn the loss of that wonderful creature that stood beside us, and kept a smile on our face during our darkest hours? Or our time to remember all the wonderful memories we shared over the years?

Judgment, betrayal, anger, and war may be of human nature, but when it comes to the canine world, there is nothing but licks, nudges, and happiness. And there are some days that life in the canine world seems so much sweeter.