We Say Goodbye . . .

It's always hard when we lose a pet, but at the holidays it seems tougher still.  I had the privilege of spending time with these pups and I know how much they are missed.

You were my favorite hello
and my hardest goodbye.

I met Susie in August. She was used for breeding before her owners brought her to live with them so she never really knew how great it could be to be a dog. Susie was a quiet dog, very shy, and would follow her mom from room to room.  She learned what love was as she had two little boys who adored her. Susie would go camping with her family and watch from the sidelines during the boys' soccer games. Besides belly rubs, I think her reward for her previous hardships was that she knew she was finally where she belonged.

Earlier in July I had a wonderful session with Maggie, (who went by the more stately name of Margaret during her senior years ). She was devoted to her owner and lived a very full life with him. She was a sweet, energetic pup who grew up loving tennis balls, her stuffed monkey, car rides and cheese. She was very attached to her human and they enjoyed hanging out together. Maggie was a wonderfully spoiled dog right up till the end . . . (as they all should be ).

You might remember a certain Vikings fan named Sophie . . . She, too has walked over the rainbow bridge to run and play to her hearts content. Sophie didn't play fetch, but she liked to play ball on the floor by pushing it back to her owners when they would roll it to her.  She was so cute and I'm guessing that those warm eyes of hers saw more smiles than a dog could wish for.  She was so very loved and she knew it . . . you could see it in her little westie face.

All three of these pups were living out their last few weeks when we did a session. I'm so thankful that I got to meet them. Like all of the pets I do sessions with, I think of them when I encounter certain things.  I will always think of Susie when I see daisies; red convertibles will always bring Maggie to mind; and I heard a goose the other day and immediately thought of Sophie and her sister Sage. (You had to be there.)  ;O)

Peace and love to our furry friends and their families.

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."
-Sydney Jeanne Seward