One year ago today, I wrote what turned out to be a rather iconic post. If you aren’t familiar with why I keep referring to my undying hatred of Kevin, that post explains it. The anniversary of Emmett’s passing is next week, and I am already dreading it.
I have lost dogs before, and will, I am sure, go through it again though I am hoping that day is far from now. Over time, the sharp pains of grief turn into more of a dull ache, which in time recedes into the corners of one’s mind and only occasionally makes itself known. Eventually, even that wears away, to be replaced by the dusty shimmer of fond remembrance.
But when you are talking about that once in a lifetime dog, the one whose heart so effortlessly grew into yours, the scars left behind when they are ripped from it take longer to heal. This week, my dear friend was in town for a visit, and hadn’t seen Brody for a while.
“Oh wow,” she said. “He looks just like Emmett.”
“He does,” I agreed sadly. “He doesn’t act anything like him, though.”
It was not my choice to end up with a dog who so closely resembled the one he succeeded. I would have preferred that not to be the case. It’s not Brody’s fault that he is not Emmett, and I wouldn’t expect him to be. Nonetheless, I still find myself slipping on occasion when I’m not paying attention and calling him the wrong name, then realizing no, that one is not here.
I received this lovely gift from Amy Valentine after Emmett passed away. I wear it regularly. It helps ward off the ache. I will have it on next week, when I find myself lost in the memories of those last few days at Dog Beach, of the stranger who approached me to take our picture, moved by some tangible expression passing between Emmett and myself our last time there, of the feel of his fur in my hands as I rested them on his still form.
Yes, this wound still hurts.
One of the greatest gifts of being involved in a pet blog is finding a greater sense of cause and community with like-minded people. Whether you are a cat person, dog person, bird person, ferret person- each with their own distinct personalities and interests- everyone is equally interested in improving the lives of animals across the world, and that is something I love.
Driven by the desire to bring community-minded bloggers together to make a difference, Kim Clune at This One Wild Life and Amy and Rod Burkert of Go Pet Friendly initiated the Blog the Change event, which starts today.
The link above will tell you all you need to know if you’d like to participate. The premise is simple: pick something you are passionate about and blog about it.
Ta daa!
Here is my contribution:
As an animal health care advocate and someone easily overwhelmed by life’s demands, I am all for safety tips that are easily implemented, convenient, and effective. I have seen the devastating effects of house fires, and I know how difficult it is in those emergency situations to get everyone out safely and quickly, particularly when you are trying to find a frightened pet.
The American Kennel Club, ADT, and the National Volunteer Fire Council have teamed up to declare July 15th Pet Fire Safety Day. With an estimated 500,000 pets affected by house fires each year, it’s an important issue to prepare for.
The above link has some tips for home preparedness, but even with the best pet-proofing accidents can happen. In those situations, something as simple as a window cling with your pets’ information can make the difference for those awesome, fantastic firefighter heroes who can and do regularly risk life and limb to help us, and our pets.
Participating fire stations across the US are offering these clings today for free; for those who are not close to a station where they are available, ADT also has these clings available online, free of charge.
It’s easy. It doesn’t cost you anything. And it just might save your pet’s life.
I like this game. It’s harder than it looks.
You’ll get a series of hints. Slam the buzzer when you know the answer.
An owner calls and says his dog is itchy.
BUZZ! FLEA ALLERGIES!
Ah yes, very good guess, but you haven’t even seen the dog yet.
The dog is not on flea control.
BUZZ! IT’S TOTALLY FLEA ALLERGIES!
Look, I get that is a reasonable assumption, but we need a little more information to make an accurate diagnosis.
The dogs and I went for a nice long walk this morning. And by, “we went for a walk,” I mean “Koa and Brody dragged me around the neighborhood for an hour or so.”
Brody and I had been working hard on the heel command for a while there, and for the most part when it’s just the two of us, he will grudgingly do it. He has the attention span of a gnat, as, unfortunately, do I.
Koa doesn’t want to leave my side to begin with, so regardless of what I do with her she is attached to me by an invisible tether. My four year old can walk her without problems. Individually, they are handle-able.
Together, though? Nightmare. They seem to think that they need to jockey for position, so the second one noses in front of the other, they’re off like the thoroughbreds at Del Mar.
They twist the leashes around each other, and as soon as they hear me scold one will invariably fall into position on my opposite side, across the front, usually tripping and/or hamstringing me in the process.
