(VICT) Re: We Are Losing the Battle
- From: Debi Davis <scripto@xxxxxxx>
- To: vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 12:58:58 -0700
Dearest Karen,
My heart is breaking for you, along with all the members of this
list. No one could have tried harder to do all that was medically
possible to keep Met alive, happy and working. Your devotion to Met
is and was the greatest gift you could have ever have given that good
dog. When we have done all we can, we can only give unconditional
love and share our hearts and souls as much as possible.
It was a year ago the 21st of this month that I said goodbye to Peek,
my SD for a decade. Like you, as the end neared, and every possible
choice of treatment had been exhausted, I allowed him to accompany me
when he felt able, even if it was just for a 1/2 block walk. How
happy he was just to take that short walk and perhaps, when he was
feeling strong enough, to be asked to retrieve a bottle or hamburger
wrapper off the sidewalk. Those 10 minute trips were like spiritual
rejuvenation for him, an affirmation that no matter how little we
have to give, that little bit is very appreciated, precious, and
worthwhile.
You are right. There will never be another Met in your life. There
are dogs--great dogs, great pets, great service dogs, great
guides--who may enter our lives and help us to remain independent,
and who will have a special place in our heart.
But when we also have lived with a "heart dog," the dog who does so
much more than asked, the dog who senses our needs before we do, I
guess all we can do is be grateful for that experience in our life,
knowing that there are people who will never get an opportunity to
experience that kind of closeness and bonding. Would we have rather
never known that dog than to have had to say goodbye?
I know the pain of impending loss, and the actual loss is unbearable.
But if, in my quietest and most honest hours, I try to answer that
question--I always come up with the same answer. My grief is worth
the years of love, companionship and service, because my life is
better for having lived with and been loved by that special heart dog.
I try to focus on this, but it's hard work of the heart, of the
emotions. When the acute pain of the loss begins to lessen, the
emotional loss remains, and that hole in our heart mends just a bit,
but is always there. I'm a pretty practical person. I've lived a long
time, I've had many wonderful dogs, and when I've had to let them go,
I grieved and moved on.
But there are those "heart dogs" who never leave us, and never let us
forget just how extraordinary they were, or what a sacred place they
held in our hearts, our lives. It transcends their excellent working
abilities--it's all about unconditional love, and having had the
experience of a lifetime sharing something that special with an
unforgettable and irreplaceable dog.
Just remember that for all Met has done for you--you have done the
same for Met. Met's commitment and love for you is every bit as
strong, and death cannot break that spiritual bond of love you shared.
My heart weeps with you.
Debi Davis
Las Vegas, NV
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