My parents sat me and my sisters down in the living room of our Washington home on Christmas morning, telling us to wait for our first gift. We sat patiently for several minutes until our mom stepped in, cradling something small.
Bursting from her arms came the present of my dreams and for a moment, we just sat there staring at each other, completely in awe.
Thousands of walks, many kilos of dog food, a few daring escapes, and nearly thirteen years later, our Christmas puppy grew into a sizeable, cherished member of our family. This is why the pain of losing him nearly a week ago runs incredibly deep.
In the last few months, Bodee had been deteriorating rapidly. Crippling joint pain and difficulty breathing followed by a diagnosis of a tumor and fluid build-up around his heart are what led to my parent’s decision to let him go peacefully. These were difficult details to hear over Skype while I sat alone in my Indian flat, thousands of miles from home.
When I made the big move six months ago, the possibility of losing him while I was away crossed my mind. He was an old dog in declining health. But after my parents broke the news, nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming grief. Losing a dog poses its own unique challenges. You can’t talk to a dog and you can’t say goodbye which at times, can make grief more burdensome.
Not to mention, dogs express pain differently than humans. His veterinarian explained to my family that the death of a pet can often feel sudden because, even in a substantial amount of pain and discomfort, dogs can carry on being the happy, care-free canine you know and love. So in the midst of my sadness, I can’t help but wonder if he had been suffering in silence, or for how long. But if the street dogs of India have taught me anything, it’s that nothing is more forgiving than a dog.
More or less ubiquitous throughout the densely populated country, these creatures face the threat of violence, torture, malnutrition, and disease around every corner. Though, I need only step outside my little apartment and I will surely find a half dozen four-legged friends, who have probably seen appalling acts of inhumanity, with tails wagging and bellies up. While I couldn’t say goodbye, or stroke his head as he heaved his final breath, this has been immensely consoling.
When I look at a dog, I don’t see just another animal. I see another being, I feel a soul. And when we cast aside these beings as worthless, we are in danger of arriving at the conclusion that certain people are also worthless. Indeed, the greatest inhumanity we can express towards our fellow creatures is complete and utter indifference.
I have learned after thirteen years of loving a dog that cherishing an animal with all of your soul awakens a person in a way that’s difficult to articulate. I often catch myself measuring the character of other people based on the way in which they treat dogs, or any animal for that matter. Ultimately, the capacity to love and understand animals is the capacity to love and understand fellow humans.
I recommend to anyone who has ever experienced the loss of a dog to take solace in knowing that because of your dog, you were motivated to go outside, to play, seek affection, go on adventures, be compassionate and stay loyal. And of course, to carry on.
Article Source – The above article was contributed by one of the readers of dogward.com but I am unable to place the name of the contributor. In case you are the one, please let me know and I will mention you as the author.
Photo by Cam Bowers on Unsplash
I am a dog lover and creator of this site. I am also the author of ‘Keep Sleeping Keep Missing- if only you knew’ (available on Amazon, Flipkart, Kobo, Google Store, etc.).
