It was 6:38 AM on Friday morning and I was fighting to wake up. Mornings have not been my thing, lately, in fact, I can’t even wake up to my own alarm. My husband, bless his heart, wakes up, feeds the dogs, makes me an espresso and a little breakfast, and sets it on my night stand to wake me up. On this particular morning, I awoke to the sound of slurping. The slurping that comes from a little pup trying to consume as much of the bagel and cream cheese that was sitting beside my bed before I awoke… Well, that was the perfect way to get me to jump out of bed, and snatch the whole tray away from her…Half my espresso was gone, and ALL the cream cheese had been licked off so perfectly, I wouldn’t have even known it was ever there but for the fact that my little Shorkie had a white mustache, and a guilty look. “Mia!!!!!!”, I snapped, “What in the world are you doing??? Bad, bad, bad dog!!!” I sadly took the tray, and headed toward the kitchen to dump it, as I passed my husband who was trying to hide his giggles- “Well, that got you up!” He said.

“We’ve got to do something about her behavior, she is 4 years old, and still has NO manners! We need Caesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer STAT!”

We currently have 2 dogs- the first one is technically ‘mine’, and her name is Mia, she is a Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix, and I got her 4 years ago as a birthday gift from my husband. She was the ugliest one in the shop full of 2 lb tea cup Yorkies, and was 4 months old, whereas most of the pups were adopted before they turned 1 month. She was there as a favor to one of the breeders who was trying to get rid of her, as they believed no one would want her because she was not a tea cup, not pure bread, and pretty ugly with straggly black fur/hair. My husband had taken me to the shop and told me I could get any pup I wanted, when I saw Mia playing in the pen, (she only had 15 minutes a day to play, the rest of the time she was confined to an aquarium), and she had the ‘pee pee’ pad between her two hind legs, walking on her front two, playing ‘wheelbarrow’ all by her lonesome. “I want that one!” I proclaimed as I pointed at Mia and she looked up at me, like “What took you so long?”. The lady showing us around said: “Ummmm, are you certain, your husband said you could have any one that you want, and you want this monstrosity?” I looked at her with disgust, “YES, I do.”

We had to wait a day to get her as if she was a gun or something, I really have no idea why, but we returned there early and with excitement the following day. The owner of the shop’s name was Esmeralda, and she required that we had an orientation day before we got to take Mia home. Esmeralda informed us that Mia would probably be very depressed when we got her home, and that she wouldn’t eat, and would probably mope around for several days.

When we got her home, we set Mia down, and she took one look around her big, new home and then took off!!! She ran at the speed of light with her little butt down for better maneuvering, and drifted around all the corners. My husband called her ‘Tokyo Drift’. She ran up to the pit bull/lab mix we had at the time and jumped up and down in front of him, as to say, ‘hello, I am your new sister!’ Before we even had a chance to put her food down, she ate her big brother’s large dog food, then fell asleep in my lap with a big belly. Months later, when we got her first haircut, all the straggly black wirey fur came off to reveal a beautiful golden shade. She is our golden child. She loves to travel on airplanes, and especially loves when the peanuts come by! So far she has been in great health, and has given us so many wonderful memories.

Last December, we decided to get another pup for our pack, and, so on our wedding anniversary, I got my husband a little Yorkie mix. We are not sure exactly what he is, we got him off the internet from someone who had puppies, and told us he was a pure bread Yorkie. As soon as we saw him, though, we knew he wasn’t, but that really didn’t matter to us. My husband named the little guy ‘Milo’, and he has joined our pack seamlessly. He is very aerodynamic, and jumps around the whole house. He listens very well, and knows his place is second to his big sister Mia. Recently my husband ordered a DNA test for Milo, so soon we will know what breed(s) he is. Milo likes to fight with a sweatshirt that we leave on the bed, and usually, the sweatshirt wins. Milo is very protective, and likes to battle the evil sprinklers, by barking and jumping on them. He is so exceedingly soft, snuggling with him heals my soul. Our dogs have brought us so much joy, but the problem with joy, is the worry that comes with it. What happens when our dogs get old and in pain? What happens if they run away? What happens when their time here on earth is over?

Recently I made a new friend who is very dear to me: Candace. Candace has the same love for dogs that I do, and her pup’s name is Oliver. Candace was also close with her parent’s German Shepard, Jake. Jake was a puppy when Candace first met him, and she and Jake had always had a special connection. When Candace would enter her parents’ house, Jake would run to her, and howl and cry in a way that seemed as if he was trying to communicate with her. Apparently he had a lot to say, because, according to Candace, this could go on for several minutes. Candace would often treat Jake to his favorite foods: chicken, and lobster; Jake and Candace would go to the sand dunes in El Segundo, California, to play fetch, but, by the end it was Candace who was fetching the ball because Jake would get tired! Candace’s own dog Oliver does not particularly like other dogs, but he would make an exception for his cousin, Jake. The three would go on long walks together, in silence, but with deep understanding of one another. All was well in Jake’s world, until he was diagnosed with lymphoma several months back. Of course, his family was worried sick, as he bravely underwent chemotherapy, never understanding the ‘whys’ us humans so deeply need to know. For a while, Jake was doing better, however, his lymphoma returned with a vengeance, and Jake’s family knew he was in tremendous pain. On July 31, 2018, Jake, surrounded by his family, underwent euthanasia, and he took his last breath. Candace was alerted of the situation, and rushed to be by his side, but could not make it in time. She told her family not to prolong the injection, as Jake was in tremendous pain, and she did not want him to suffer a moment more than he had to. When Candace got there, she held him until the heat from the once rambunctious Jake cooled, and his soft body stiffened. She said the hardest thing was just his breathlessness that seemed surreal. Jake’s work on this Earth had been completed. Job well done, Jake.

I would be remiss if I left out a pup that was very dear to my heart, my fur niece, Jade. Jade was my brother Cyrus’ pup, who he adopted as a tiny fur ball. At the time, my brother was a Bachelor, and life was just him and her- dog parks, walks, and wrestling for days, as that little one had energy to spare. Over time, my brother met his future wife, and Jade more than approved! They married, and moved into a house of their own with enough room for Jade to spread her wings so to speak. Jade was with Cyrus when our father passed away-by this time Jade was middle aged, and more mature. She comforted him in a way that no one else could. Soon Cyrus and Lori brought home their first baby- they did not know how Jade would react, and were worried she may be jealous. Quite the opposite, Jade LOVED her new baby brother, and was actually defensive of him. As time went by, and grey spread throughout jade’s once raven fur, she got to be a bit snappy. One time she snapped at Cyrus’ son, and Mom and Dad were afraid they would have to get rid of her. Cyrus spoke with me about it, and i remembered that I had a patient who had just lost her dog and was looking for a mature dog for companionship. The deal was almost done, but Cyrus backed out, because he just couldn’t part ways with his most trusted companion. A few months ago, Cyrus told me he awoke in the early hours of the morning with a pit in his stomach as if something was really wrong. He quickly got out of bed, and bee lined it to Jade. He said that she looked so peaceful, but he knew. He wrapped her in blankets, and laid with her for a while. When morning came he and Lori had to explain to their son what had happened, and a very important lesson was learned that day for Cyrus’ son about love and loss. Jade, you were very special to me, and you will be missed, but I know you have your shiny raven hair back, and are bouncing around like old times. Great job here on earth, Jade.

What to say when someone loses a pet? To me, it truly is a member of the family, and the deep mystery of the great beyond can cause a lot of grief. Especially for pets- we are so used to taking care of them, the question is, where are they now, and are they being cared for properly? I told Candace that my Dad and my family German Shepard Blake, were both on the other side, and that they would take Jake in, and show him his new digs. We never get to explain to our pets in words what they mean to us, and how much they have changed our lives. What it meant when they licked our tears, snuggled into our sickness, or jumped with us for joy when something exciting happened. They will never know how their sweet spirits keep us present, and remind us to live in the moment. I believe that they KNOW the secrets we don’t. They understand something we never will. They are built to live in the moment, and they aim to please, regardless of how they have been treated in the past. They forgive automatically, and are never deceitful or resentful. Their needs are simple. They seem generally happy, because, they know it is all ok here on earth; they know that what they need will be provided. They also know that they come from a place of pure, unlimited, vibrant, powerful, intoxicating LOVE, and to the same place they shall return.

I want to take this moment to remind you that it is all OK. No matter what you are going through, God WILL provide you everything you need. You can find joy in the smallest of things, and focus on that beauty, resonate on it, and, I promise it will multiply. Take a lesson from our four legged friends- forgive immediately, be yourself, love whomever’s energy attracts you, and steer clear from those that give you a bad feeling in your gut. It truly seems ridiculous to think this way, but the truth is, in my mind, dogs are more evolved than humans. What good is all of our intelligence and opposable thumbs if we are miserable at the end of the day? If we were functioning on the gross domestic happiness instead of the gross domestic product we would enjoy life a whole lot more. I implore you, my faithful readers, to behave like dogs, and you will find heaven on earth! Until next time…