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.