Throughout my posted musings, I have consistently reiterated the fact that I am a sucker for difficult dogs; this fact is glaringly evident in my experiences with our favourite finicky fur ball, Chance. My proclivity for tough cases has triggered a sort of kinship with others who refuse to take the easy road when it comes to taking chances on their canine companions. I can relate to their triumphs, and unfortunately, share in their grief in losing one of these dogs who, in the end, wound up having been worth the trouble.

So you can imagine my sadness when I received an email today telling of the passing of a particularly difficult yet sweet dog named Elsie and the two people who went above and beyond to try and help her. For them, Elsie’s story ended in tragedy, (see their blog for the whole story http://findrosie.wordpress.com) but from their loss they hope to inspire in the rest of us a call to action. All they ask from those of us lucky enough to have dogs is that we take them out and LOVE them – play fetch, take them to the park, or simply wreak havoc in your living room. This is such a simple request, so let’s do it, not only for Elsie and those she’s left behind, but for the dogs we love and the ones we’ve lost.

Tonight I’m going to join my dogs in the backyard for a sprirted bout of whatever game they choose. While doing so, I’m going to think about Elsie as well as the other doggie friends I’ve recently lost. I’ll remember Jakey Bear and how much joy he brought to his family and how bravely he lived his 12 years. I’ll think about Molly and what a good dog she was and how hard she fought. Most of all, I’m going to live in that moment with Chance, Roxy, and Cash, and appreciate the fact that they’ve chosen to make my life whole by being a part of it.

How are you going to answer the call to play?

Jake (March 1998 – January 2011)

Molly (May 1998 – January 2011)