Yesterday was the day I had to put my 14 yr old Lab, Jet, to sleep. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Partly because there would be no one else to share the blame with me, it was up to me alone. He just looked at me with trusting eyes until his very last breath, knowing I would never do anything but my very best for him.

I realized that any other decision was more for me than for him. To keep him going would have required many more pills for the pain. There is no pill for the pain of losing him. Just silence.
To walk into my house after fourteen years and not have him meet meet me with total joy. To sleep, not being occasionally aware of his breathing, licking or sighing, as he slept on the floor beside me or rearranged his beautiful four- legged body for more comfort, those are the silences I am aware of now.

It was a relationship where I realized we were like the pair in “Pretty Woman”….I saved him from the shelter, and he saved me right back forever after.

In the quiet now I realize how often I talked with him, shared my concerns, told him I loved him, where I was going and when I would return. Even when I didn’t keep my word, he never held a grudge, always forgave me, greeted every new day as a true blessing and time to start fresh, as though there was never a bad thing that had ever happened in his life. I believe it is no coincidence that ‘dog’ is God spelled backwards. They really model a good and fruitful life, lived everyday the very best we can, no looking back.

I hope I remember all he taught me with his unconditional and constant love and faith in me. He was a wonderful partner.

I sometimes wonder how my ramblings have any relationship any more to real estate, but I am reminded how many people buy a home to have a fenced in yard for a beloved dog. One of their highest concerns and the first money they spend has to do with providing for one, or finally having room to adopt one. Animals are very much intermingled in our lives. Unfortunately, all the people losing their homes means many more wonderful pets are abandoned in the process of moving backward into apartments. I can only pray that more people will open their homes and hearts to these creatures caught in the crossfire.They certainly will forgive their owners, but how much better if they were rescued before they suffered unduly. We can all help a shelter in some way, as they face unimaginable stress right now.