In the span of 5 months I lost both of my family dogs, Jessie and Lulu. It’s been very hard to talk about but after some time I wanted to share the piece I dedicate to my friends who’ve been with me since I was a little girl. In February, Lulu suffered from a sudden stroke that she couldn’t recover from, and had to be put down. It was so sudden and seemingly out of nowhere because she had always seemed so healthy for her age. It was hard on all of us, and I was so shaken from the experience I couldn’t even talk about it until recently. I’ve made my peace with it now, since that tough little dog had survived so many freak accidents (being picked up by a hawk, ran over by a golf cart, running into traffic, almost being dog-napped by a random lady) I like to say that she was determined to pass on by natural causes, and lived a long full life. We just lost Jessie this July. She was about 17 years old, and started declining in health the past year. It started really showing in the month before her death. We could all see she was in suffering and didn’t have a quality of life anymore, so we sadly had to put her down as well. The week prior all of my siblings, in-laws, and grandparents came to visit her and shower her with attention (her favorite thing) and we made her as comfortable as possible before we said goodbye. I will never forget how much these old girls meant to me, if love was enough to keep them alive they would’ve lived forever. And I like to imagine them like they are in this picture, not in pain, not struggling to get around, but free and soaring high in the skies above. To Jessie, I hope you get to run as fast as you want, and get all of the belly rubs you could ever dream of. To Lulu, I hope you get to bark as much as you want at whoever you want, and lie in the warm sun to your little hearts content. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. 🐾 💛
