Whether you are a cat person, dog person, fish person, or snake person, the passion for pets is something that is everlasting. While pets are the greatest companion a human can ask for, the loss of them can open up wounds that the loss of a family member can open.
Recently, I lost my dog of 11 years. To make matters worse, I had to say goodbye from 3000 miles away, as he was at home with my family in California and I’m at school in New York. I was forced to go through the realization that I would go home to one dog, not two, and that the next time I walk into my house, he won’t be there to greet me; a ritual I had grown accustomed to over the past 11 years.
I would no longer be able to invite him, in all his 120 pounds of glory, to come up on my bed to sleep on my feet in the morning or watch Star Wars with him during the summer. I had to face these facts while being away from my family, who were going through the same process. For the week prior to his passing, I was there for my brother and mom who were ultimately the ones who had to make the decision about him; I at least had a buffer zone.
Once he was gone, I realized several things. I realized that my family and I gave him the best possible years. As a shelter dog, he was running on borrowed time when we rescued him. At only five months, he was not supposed to get bigger than 70 pounds. Imagine our surprise as he passed 100.
A second thing I realized is that, as cliché as it sounds, he saved us more than we saved him. Over the 11 years I had him, he had been through family deaths, my parents’ divorce, and numerous stressful times I don’t think I would have gotten through without him. Although he went through the bad, he was also there for the good, the most important of the good being my gaining of three more little brothers and a stepdad I would not give up for the world.
The third thing I realized is that, as painful as the loss of Brownie was, it opened up the opportunity for my family to save another dog; an opportunity to add another member of the family to the existing seven -- eight if you include my 15-year-old Chihuahua mix that’s more like a cat at this point. But my family would be given the chance to give many happy years to another dog who needed it…and that’s exactly what they did.
Though I may not get to go home to Brownie at the front door, I will be able to meet Tucker, my new eternal best friend. And while he may not be Brownie, I look forward to getting to know my new pup, something that will be both painful and exhilarating at the same time.
While losing a pet is one of the most painful experiences a person can go through, it leads to important opportunities. My dog was the best friend I had always needed and, at the end of the day, I knew I could always count on him. He lived the best life possible and I know my family and I did everything possible to make sure he lived his life comfortably* (*read “spoiled”). He was the best thing that could have happened to me and I know he is at peace now.
As animal lovers, we are faced with the choice of whether or not to have pets; while death is inevitable, I will always choose to have pets because an opportunity to make another being’s life better is worth any pain it will cause in the end. I am glad I had 11 years of happiness with Brownie. He was everything I needed and I will never forget him. I know Tucker will never fill the void that Brownie left behind, but I know he will be exactly what I need, filling a void that he is meant for. Pets are a blessing and Brownie was exactly that.
