I don’t know exactly what to say here, where this post will go. I’ve written the closing paragraph already, but every story must have a beginning, middle, and end. This feels odd. In this lifetime, for the beginning of this story, I wasn’t fully there. The middle is where I’m at now, it is full of twists and turns, and adventure. The end is something that I don’t think I can write about, not because it hurts, but because it’s something I don’t believe in. Love never dies. Here is the love story between me and my dog, I hope you enjoy and stay Alive and All over.
When I say Stay Alive, I mean it. There was a time in my life when I thought I couldn’t. The pressure, the feelings, the changes, and all the things you learn on your time on Earth can be heavy, and for me, it was. During this time, I had just lost a pet on the same day my parents were to tell me my grandfather had just passed. I was already walking in so much sadness, and the world was so heavy. My parents would take me out to cheer me up, and one day, my father and I were sitting at Starbucks, and he was scrolling on Craigslist. An hour later, I got my first dog, a Doberman. We named him Diesel, then Paperclip, but we finally settled on Stitch. A beautiful floppy-eared, large-pawed dog. We had had other dogs in the house before, but this one really was mine. He was a sickly puppy who had already lived through so much. He was given only 5-7 years to live, he was taken from his mother too early, everyone was so unsure about his future, but it didn’t matter, he was mine.
Stitch is an extremely smart, eager to learn dog. He is very kind and empathetic. He will take every opportunity to make you pet him, the kind of dog that, if he sees your hand out, he’ll rub along it until you get the gist. My best off-leash walker. The perfect dog. Even when I couldn’t be present with him, a good mother to him, because I was sick, he checked in on me. He would put my hand in his mouth just to hold it. The kind of dog that knows no strangers, will only see the good in people, that is Stitch. When I started to heal more and become a better mother to him, he was there as well, and I could see his light. The love he has for everyone around him, but especially me, is a sight to behold. You couldn’t understand pet love until you experience it. Of course I let him sit in the bed with me, of course I let him put his dirty toys on me, of course I let him eat my veggie scraps, of course I fall asleep to the sound of him chewing and sucking on a blanket, that is my dog. If I could put into words how deep, how meaningful our connection is, I would. But I can’t. Our love is beyond words. The way he knows I love him and I know he loves me is outside of this realm. It’s too special.
Right now, he is sick. We talked about it, he and I. We don’t know what’s to come, he and I. But we do know that our love is endless. It surpasses new life, it surpasses sickness, it surpasses what people may think is the end. There is no end to that kind of love. It will exist in maybe only a way we can understand, he and I. I’m excited to see him again, whenever and wherever that will be. It is hard being in school when your first best friend is sick, but knowing what we have, knowing what we hold together, it keeps me warm. Stitch keeps me warm.
To love the smell of cornchip feet. The slob dripping off their lips after a sip of water makes you laugh. Finding little hairs in every corner of your home. The love we share with our dogs is special, endless, and knows no bounds. To know that there will always be someone there waiting for you, looking for your love and attention, who searches for your affection and your time, dogs bring out the best in us. You become their world, and every moment spent with you, they love it like it’s their last time. Dogs don’t care to worry about what’s next, or what happened before, they know that here and now in this moment, that you are there. That you are there to love them. To give him a kiss on the forehead. To snuggle up to at night. The love that you and your dog share has existed in many lifetimes, and it will continue long after you think you are separated. Carry that love with you in everything you do. Give your dogs an extra butt scratch for me today and tell them to stay Alive and be All Over.
P.S. (post Stitch): I wrote this last night before I found out that he had passed. The message remains the same. I just wanted to add on how emotional I am right now. I am sad because in this life I will never be able to meet with him, pet him, hug him, physically, ever again, but the overwhelming feeling that I feel in every bone in my body is gratitude. I am so grateful that he chose me to love him, to be his person, to care for him. So grateful that I had the chance to know him and understand him and grow with him. I am so grateful that even now I can feel him all around me, that in the middle of the night when I wake up, I can still feel his protection. For the dog that he was, that he is, I am forever grateful and am excited to meet with him again one day when its time. At least I know for now that he is getting great care from the rest of the family that is not here with me. This is dedicated to the dog who was right by my side through my darkest times and stayed there until I was able to find my light again. A dog is just not a dog. Thank you Stitch.
Very wholesome and RIP that cutie Stitch never truly know what u had till it’s gone
I love this story!