Our dog Sunnie died on September 9th. He'd been going down hill the past couple of months so it was expected but still sad. He was a hyper but beautiful pure bred Pomeranian....and lived with us for almost all of his 15 years. We got him when he was 10 weeks old because I'd been reading 'The puppy who wanted a Boy' to my son who at the time was a year and a half. I decided that every little boy needed a puppy. I may have rethought things if I'd known I'd be having a puppy and a baby at the same time, then again maybe not. Some of my fondest memories of Sunnie are when he was a puppy and I was pregnant with Mackenzie. He hardly ever left my side, where I was, he was. If I was laying down, he was at my feet. I had Mackenzie laying in the sun next to our bedroom sliding glass door and there he appeared to take peak at her from under the bed/dust ruffle.
Growing up the only pets we had were outside dogs, so having an inside dog was all new to me....now I can't imagine not having one. Two years ago my son found a Yorkie (Sadie) in the middle of the street, after looking for a few days for lost dog signs and not finding any I decided to keep her. Last year at almost 14 years old, Sunnie became a father, we kept one of the puppies and gave the other two away. I'm so glad now, Simba has a completely different temperament but he's a great dog. I've never really thought of myself as a dog person until now. Sunnie was more my husband and son's dog, but Sadie is definitely my dog and Christian say's when he's grown and moves out, he's taking Simba with him....we'll see about that.
A friend sent me the sweetest email last week and it was a story of a six year old whose dog had died and he explained the reason that dogs don't live as long as humans. He said "people are born so that they can learn how to live a good life--like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" He continued, saying "well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long". Sounds like a pretty good explanation to me. I've definitely been sad and maybe a little depressed...grief sometimes sneaks up on you.
Here's the poem that was in the end of the story about the dog:
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
Until next time....ciao.
