Two years ago today we lost our beloved dog Cheyenne:
She was a beautiful, sweet, intelligent dog. We had her from the time that she was eight weeks old, and she lived for over fourteen years. I still think of her every day, and miss her dearly.
Six weeks after we lost Cheyenne, we rescued Foxy, our Husky/Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix:
Foxy is very well-behaved, and she instantly fit in with our home and family. But for me, the pain of losing Cheyenne was still too fresh and raw, so I held back on being as affectionate with her as I should have been. It wasn’t fair to her, but it felt like a betrayal to open my heart to another dog so soon. As a result, she attached to Michael more than to me.
One year later, we got our second dog, an Australian Shepherd:
I named her Lakota. It felt like a fitting tribute to Cheyenne, and after a year I felt more ready to love a dog in the same way again. Lakota is very much my dog, and although she is a little brat, I do love her dearly.
However, I still feel a little hesitation to love her too much because I remember how much it hurt to say goodbye to Cheyenne.
So, how do you open your heart again after such a loss? I know that someday we will have to say goodbye to Foxy and Lakota, and the very thought tears me up. So why own a pet at all, knowing that it will all end in pain?
Because ultimately, it’s worth it. I mean, look at those adorable faces. And when they curl up next to you to sleep, or bring you their favorite toy and ask to play, you’re reminded time and again that they are wonderful and worthy of our love.