"There is honor in being a dog." -Aristotle
I am returning finally to my blog after not posting anything since last October. I just spent some time reading back through my past entries and remembered that I had written several times about mortality and the fact that none of us knows how much time we have to live in this world. I lost a good friend last December 8th and have attempted several times to write this post but have been unable to move forward with it until this evening.
My sweet Mindy died in the wee hours of the morning after a sudden, mysterious illness that caused her lungs to fill with fluid and her body to shut down. She was only four years old and had always been playful and energetic. She truly loved our family and was happiest when she was hanging out with us, especially on camping trips. Her death devastated me. Even now, I feel guilt over having to make the decision to end her suffering. I still sometimes half expect her to come padding into a room, claws clicking, tail wagging in greeting. She used to sleep on a comfy dog pillow on the floor next to my side of the bed. I thought I had put all of her things away up in the attic but just last weekend, I found her beloved stuffed duck under the edge of the bed, unnoticed all this time. I am finally at the point now where this discovery first made me smile before I felt the familiar swelling of grief inside.
I have been around dogs all my life and am always amazed at their love and loyalty for us faulty humans. They don't care what we look like, what kind of material goods we have, what we can do for them- they just love us. I am grateful for the time we had with Mindy. We all worked together to bury her in our backyard where she loved to romp and I still go out there and talk to her every now and again. I plan to plant some flowers there soon as a memorial to her. I still miss her and am fighting back my tears right now as I write this. God certainly knew what He was doing when He brought dogs and people together as companions. Our lives have been made that much richer with the brief time we had with Mindy and we will always remember her as a faithful and honorable friend.
