Losing my Best Friend

About 16 years ago, I moved into a new house to be closer to my job. Since I had a five-minute commute to work, I decided it was time to get a dog. Looking back, I approached the process in the wrong way. Instead of heading to the local animal shelter as I had done as a child, I headed to a puppy store. 

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

I always imagined I would get a pug. Why? I just thought they were cute. I had not researched the breed or anything.

Keith, the guy I was dating, quickly convinced me I should be looking at Jack Russell Terriers. I didn’t know much about them; except they were featured in a lot of television shows and commercials. They were also absolutely adorable.

He first handed me a male, but I wanted a female. Then he reached into the bin and pulled out the runt of the litter. 

She was at least three pounds smaller than her siblings. The underdog, I could so relate to this little girl. Once she was in my arms, it was fate. Our brown eyes locked together, and all bets were off.  She was coming home with me!

I called her Minnie. What she lacked in size she made up for in personality.

We became best friends.  Sharing almost 16 years together. I learned a lot from this spirited dog, including #communication.  After reading so many LinkedIn colleagues have been grieving over the loss of a beloved pet, I decided it was time to celebrate the beauty of our best friends. We’re going to grieve for our fur babies but remember the joy these little sidekicks brought into our lives. 

You might relate to these lessons:

?? Animals do not judge. They don’t discriminate. They simply love.   

?? Dogs have big hearts and have feelings/emotions. Minnie’s body language would dramatically change when we walked, and someone didn’t acknowledge her. She loved interacting with everyone and embraced the concept of #inclusion.

??Dogs are extremely intuitive, they pick up on your feelings. Minnie knew if I was happy, sad, depressed. She always tried to make me happy.

?? Dogs have one job, to please you. Minnie’s second goal in life was to make me and anyone else in her ‘audience’ laugh. My dad said all Minnie needed was a tutu and she could be part of any circus act. She just loved performing:

• Played dead
• Begged on cue
• Rolled over
• Danced on command
• Sang when you sang

???♀? Dogs push you out of your comfort zone. Minnie was my therapy. She forced me to get up and walk daily. She also was the best way to meet people in my new neighborhood. Minnie was a great icebreaker. She’d often jump up on her hind legs and take her two paws up in the air as if to say, “Hey, say hello to me.” Her strategy generally got people to stop and fuss over her.

?????♀? Puppies can push your limits! When Minnie was just a little one, she was house-trained in a month, thanks to a jingle bell at the front door. However, she was a true mischief-maker. She enjoyed chewing things, from the rug around the fireplace and somehow chewing on a dresser drawer. Lesson learned: don’t leave puppies alone for longer than 30 seconds!

?? Dogs love to go wherever you go. Whenever I visited my parents at the Jersey shore, Minnie came along with me. Her favorite part about the trip there was sticking her head out of the window in the Pine Barrens and feeling the wind in her face—her ears flopping. Once she arrived, she’d run on the dock, chasing ducks, hunting crabs and eels. It was a paradise for her. And, she was spoiled by her grandparents.

?? Dogs have a few vices. Being massaged as often as possible, getting treats and curling up in your bed.

?Some dogs have an exceptional vocabulary. Minnie understood more words than some people. I’m not exaggerating. If you said, "Minnie wanna have a bath, brush your teeth, or clip your nails?” She would not only hide but become almost aggressive. She also would brake for “Turkey, shrimp, hamburger or chicken” simply based on the words.

??Dogs love to burn off steam. Minnie was a terrier who needed to burn off that terrier energy. She found it at the dog park, which had an agility course, where she climbed the six-foot-tall ladder, ran across a high bridge and darted like a jackrabbit in between a flag obstacle. She loved the challenge and chasing other dogs, too!

?? Dogs aren’t fazed by moving. I was stressed out by moving from New Jersey to Idaho, but Minnie was totally chill with the whole experience. When we moved back to the east coast 13 months later, Minnie was in her element. She had strong sun rays to stretch out in Florida. Plus, there were plenty of people who made a fuss over her wherever we walked. She loved the Geckos that popped out of trees, mulch, and gardens. Minnie, the terrorist, was back on high alert!

?? Dogs have fragile health, just like humans. When I moved back east, I finally found the right veterinarian to diagnose Minnie, who had been breathing heavy since we were in Idaho—it was always dismissed as being in a higher altitude there. It turned out Minnie had congestive heart failure. Further testing also unveiled she was suffering from Cushing’s Disease which is why she had gained three pounds on her tiny frame—she was ravenously hungry.

?? Dogs sometimes live on borrowed time. Minnie had just nine months with me after her diagnosis of Cushing’s Disease. Honestly, I knew for a year I was on borrowed time. Her breathing had been labored; her appetite was ravenous—but her personality never changed.

?? Saying goodbye is the hardest thing. The day I took Minnie was difficult, but it was so necessary, she wasn’t breathing without laboring and terribly painful coughing.  It was not easy to watch someone I loved so much in such discomfort.

?? Honoring her memory.  It was important for me to honor my girl’s memory. I was very surprised when the vet gave me four impressions of Minnie’s paw print in a cement cast with her name and a heart. I decided to take one of the cement prints in a shadow box along with Minnie’s picture, her collar and a favorite toy. 

Many people have told me to just “move on” but I don’t think you can do that when an animal steals your heart. It’s as though a piece of you is lost without your little shadow. I know one day I will find another friend—but this time in a shelter. Until then, I’m comforted and grateful for the times I had with Minnie.

I’m still hearing from neighbors, friends and even our former letter carrier in New Jersey just how much they all loved seeing Minnie’s wagging tail and smiling personality. 

Your best friend is YOUR family. You just don’t get over the loss of your family, do you? 

?? LI Network, how do you remember or honor your beloved pets? Share your thoughts with me below.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -- Winnie The Pooh