There’s a field of grass I walk through when taking Penny on her daily dog walks. It’s loaded with tiny little daisies and the warm Spring weather has brought them into bloom. The sight of those sparkling white flowers set against the carpet of green grass brings me back to summers before when I’d walk with Penny’s predecessor, my Kaya-girl, a spirited Weimaraner/Pointer cross, who’d romp and play and race with her canine pals on that same long, open stretch of grass. On one beautiful, warm and sunny day, Kaya, who was then approaching her sixteenth year with me, and slowing down considerably, stretched out on that field for a little snooze.  I captured an incredibly serene photograph of her resting amidst the daisies growing there.  Now, years later as I walk this same field with Penny, I remember that particular day as if it were yesterday and still feel a pang of longing for my dearly departed friend, a “heart” dog who taught me the meaning of love, friendship and not giving up.

People who don’t have dogs simply can’t understand the deep bond we develop with our dogs, nor the grief that descends upon us when we lose them. So often we hear “I don’t understand why she’s so sad, it’s just a dog!”.  My friend Corey Van’t Haaff wrote an article on this very subject and if you or anyone you know or love has lost a dog, this article may help them through the grieving process and provide some comfort. To read Good Grief, click here.