I have had three dogs over my long life. Bagel, a sweet mutt, was our dog in the early 50s. Abby was our dog in the mid-70s. Snowy was our dog in the 00’s and Teens.
Bagel was my dearest friend in childhood. I lost her. Weeks went by. When she was found, my prayers were answered. It reinforced the foundation of my belief in God.
Abby was a wild, Irish setter pup who was beautiful, but, hard to keep. She was our wild, Irish rose. She had just too great an affinity for knocking over garbage cans. We should have named her mayhem.
But the dog that stole my heart was Snowy, an elegant Alaskan Eskimo. He stopped traffic when we walked him, he was so beautiful. Snow was a wonderful cuddler for our family. He was thrilled when I arrived home each and every night. There were times he would say more with a look than the most articulate of humans.
But, one of the heartbreaks in our four decade marriage was watching his last breath, when, we had to put him down at 15. He was in horrible arthritic pain and demented, when, we knew it was time. The seven years since his death have not brought us a new pup. I think it involves the vulnerability we uncovered in losing Snowy. It was just too painful.
Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey 