A Sad Farewell

Drawing by Elaine Kinnaird

A light in our household has gone out. Last week we had to say goodbye to our Buddy who brightened our lives for 11 years. He developed a cough which we came to discover was due to cancer that had metastasized to the lungs.

Buddy never met a stranger. He thought everyone was top shelf. During his life, companionship was his mission. Whenever one of us was ill, he stayed with us until we were better, This time it was our turn to sit with Buddy during his last two weeks until it was time to make that final trip to the vet. We miss him and will remember the joy and enthusiasm he brought to life and to everyone around.

Concerning the lives we share with our pets, no one said it better than Suzanne Clothier in her book, Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs:

"There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other.

To those who have never lived through its turnings and walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible.

Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given." 

                                               

We buy food and medicines for our dogs and cats from Chewy Pet Supplies online. When the people at Chewy's learned of Buddy's demise, they sent flowers.

 

For Those Who Travel this Life in the Company of Animals

Daisy
 2000? - Oct. 4, 2013

Last week we had to say good-bye to Daisy as we made that last trip to the veterinarian. Daisy found us and adopted us a little over 12 years ago, so she must have been 13 or 14 years old. Her most notable trait was that she thought every person she met was the greatest thing in the world, and she was exuberant in declaring that belief.

Her veterinarian was Dr. William Weber at Eastwood Animal Clinic. He was steadfast in his care for Daisy while she lived, and continued in his care at the end of her life. Before I left his office, he gave me a card. "Don't read this now, wait a couple of hours," he said, "but this is the best thing I've ever read about what we experience with our pets."

When I read the card, I agreed that it was the best thing I had ever read. The quote is by Suzanne Clothier from her book, Bones would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs:

"There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other.

To those who have never lived through its turnings and walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible.

Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given."