You have left your furry footprints on my heart

They say a dog is man’s best friend. If that’s true, then I just lost my best friend. She was like a personal assistant. She could just look me in the eye and know what I needed. If there was a goat out or an escaped chicken needing put back, she took care of it without a word from me. She was my constant companion for 15 years. She was loyal to a fault, my comforter, my lovely friend who captured my heart.

It was truly a beautiful ride, our lives together. It was like riding a bicycle across the country. Sometimes it was smooth pedaling, all was right in our lives. We both had our health and enjoyed our time together. Other times, it was getting off that bike and trudging up the mountainside, while stepping around the potholes. She was hit by a car when she was 4 months old and the recovery was long and tedious. Then our barn burned to the ground and thankfully she escaped the fire. Then at 7, she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her leg. I will never forget that day as I drove home with her. I was crying and I pleaded with the Lord to not take my precious friend. The vet said the tumor would grow to the size of a football. I researched natural remedies and did it faithfully 3 times a day for a year. The tumor never grew and she never got sick. The Lord gave me 8 more years with my dog. I will be forever grateful.

As our lives continued, my health problems began and then escalated. I had brain surgery, and numerous other surgeries. My faithful dog sat patiently with me as I recovered from one surgery after another. It was the most wonderful relationship. No words were needed, although I believe she knew me so well she could have finished my sentences if she could have talked. She was literally always at my side and I could have trusted her with my life.

Those first few days after she passed away were gut wrenching sorrowful tear filled days. I knew full well the meaning of a heavy heart. It was so hard to grasp that my life could go on without her at my side. The loss is so intense and everyday I have to pray for renewed strength to not dwell on the tremendous hole in my heart.

I have 15 years of wonderful memories and thousands of pictures. I have a very great love for chocolate labs, she was absolutely the cream of the crop. I know time will help heal the pain I’m feeling and my wonderful husband had gotten me a new chocolate lab puppy last year that would help to ease my heartache at this time.  She is another wonderful dog.

As we go through this life we will pass by the mountains and the valleys and we must need strength for both. We can’t always enjoy the blessings of God and not experience suffering. I will be forever in debt to Him for giving me the opportunity to experience the amazing connection between a dog and a human. My lovely dog will be forever loved and missed but I can go on rejoicing for the precious time allotted to us.