by Rebecca Neagle
It is so difficult to lose a best friend, and our loss of little Lucy seemed impossible. Her first months had been rough, and when we rescued her I promised her that the rest of her life would be easy. This was a promise I couldn’t keep. We’d had her only three years before we had to say goodbye. I was crushed and pretty sure I could not go through losing another friend.
It took about a year before we heard about puppies whose owner had unexpectedly passed away. My husband, son, and I went to see them, and I fell in love immediately with a tiny little red dachshund. My husband and son began a strong campaign to bring the only other puppy home, too. “They’ll play together, and it will be easier to raise two than one!” they claimed. It was not– but we all adored sweet Lola and Molly and forgave them their prolonged training period and all of the chewed walls, furniture, and shoes.
I had no plans to have a third dog, but a dear friend heard about Blake at her vet’s office and called me. Blake was in very bad shape, having been attacked by two big dogs. The vet had stitched her back together, but she distrusted everyone. When my friend asked me to go see her, I declined, knowing what would happen if I saw her, and we had two dogs already! However, I couldn’t abandon her, so I asked my friend to visit her for me. As soon as my friend saw her, she called to tell me that this dog needed me.
Within minutes of meeting her, she snuggled into my chest and fell asleep. She was home. At her first vet visit, my vet said that Blake had never been a pet and was basically feral. I remember her saying, “I know that you’re really good with dogs, but I’m not sure this dog can be domesticated.”
I knew that she just needed to feel the safety of our love. It took a little while, but Blake became the sweetest, most loving dachshund (mix?) ever. She ended every evening with her head on my husband’s shoulder, gazing at him with adoration. She slept every night between us, and we’d smile at how much she seemed to enjoy domestic life.
There are no words to say how much I miss Blake, Molly, and Lola. They graced our life with so much love every day. While others may think that we rescued them, the reality is that they rescued us, and their love surrounds us still.
After their journeys were over, it took a while before we were ready for another dog to enter our lives, but we are now blessed with a sweet little girl Ava who brings joy to our lives every day, adding the nourishing cloud of dog love that has been one of the biggest gifts of our lives.
Little Pet Chapels 