When I was six years old, I received what I wanted so incredibly bad—a chance to pick out my very own dog.
While entering the Lucas County Dog Warden, my mother reminded me, “Pick out a small dog, Taylor.”
Now, if you can remember yourself at six years old you can probably remember the way that you did the opposite of everything your parents ever told you to do; and on that day, I did it too.
As I opened up the door to the room filled with puppies barking, my eyes met with a specific puppy that wasn’t making a single peep.
Her wet nose pressed up against the cage bars with her eyes piercing me. I knew at that very moment I needed that dog.
“Taylor, I told you to pick a small dog,” my mother said.
But with my persistence and my witty reply of “but she is small now,” I was able to persuade my mother into letting me bring home a golden retriever chow mix with the fur of a lion.
I named her Puppy—and yes, I know what you’re all thinking—“how original”—but it’ll have to be a story for another time.
Puppy became my everything.
She was always there no matter what. She was there to greet me every time I came home. She was there to sit next to me when I needed some ears to talk to. And, unlike most people, she was pretty good at keeping my secrets.
The best part about Puppy was that we were able to grow older together day by day, and that’s what we did for 14 years.
Last year, it became harder for me to watch her grow older. She wasn’t as active anymore, less likely to get up to meet me at the door and always seemed to be so tired.
I knew this time would come, but it was hard for me to handle.
Puppy became really sick, sicker than my family could handle.
We held on for a long time, trying to get her better, but it was something out of our reach.
After months of trying to help Puppy, we decided the only way to help her was to finally allow her to be pain free. Unfortunately, we had to put her down.
My everything was gone and I just felt so much pain.
People often say that animals are “just pets.” But for many of us, our pets become our family, and losing a family member is never easy.
So understand that when losing a beloved pet, it is not unusual to feel overwhelmed with the amount of pain and sorrow.
Being able to accept your pain and allowing yourself time to fully grieve are great steps in coping and understanding how to move forward. Someday, you’ll be able to smile when thinking of memories rather than crying.
Just remember, all dogs go to heaven.
Respond to Taylor at
