My dog is dead.
It is snowing. The forest is beautiful. I watch the snow… and mourn.
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Ozymandias
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
“Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde”
Beware of the anger of a patient man.
I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.
In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.
Damn.
I’m sorry.
My condolences on your loss.
So sorry. Our closest animals become like children. I’m glad you got the reprieve last year, or was it the year before, and had additional time before this day finally came.
I’m so sorry.
I am so sorry.
One of God’s cruelest ironies is giving us the most loving companion possible – and then imposing an impossibly short life.
It hurts.
Truly sorry. We always dread this moment.
Damn Mr C, I am so sorry. Loosing a friend like that is really rough.
I will have a dram of my favorite whiskey for him.
So sorry for you loss. They definitely take a piece of our hearts when they leave us. There is a poem / song entitled “God and Dog”….after awhile, google and listen to it. Right now is too soon.
I mourn with you, as I hug my pyr. Best dog ever.
You gave him a warm home, good food and love. A dog’s paradise. He was as sad to leave you as you are to have lost him. Carry on my friend.
I pray you receive calm acceptance of your terrible loss with our Lord’s grace.
The dog will be waiting at the rainbow bridge when you get there…
that is all.
Our condolences for your loss. Thry come in as pet and become family.
My condolences. As with all dogs, I’m sure he did well while he was here. Both of you were lucky to have found each other, and now he’s out of this vale of tears. RIP to him.
My condolences. There are never the right words.
May you take solace in the memories of a life well lived together.
Thank you for sharing. You have my sympathy. Dogs are the best.
My condolences to you.
Aw crap …I am sorry, …but remember the Rainbow Bridge is out there…
I am so sorry.
I am truly sorry for your loss. I have lost several dogs over the past 25 years, and it is not easy.
Got an old sweetheart here – I dread the day.
Prayers are with you.
I feel for ya.
My condolences. It doesn’t get better with time, but it does get some scar tissue to hid it a bit.
Hang tough. I know and understand the loss of a friend.
B
So Sorry AC. I am sure he is being celebrated in Doggeh Valhalla today, and will be waiting at the rainbow bridge when your day comes.
This always sucks. I’m glad I’ve never lost a child so I don’t have a greater pain to compare the pain of loosing a dog to.
That’s the pact you make. You know it going in and relish the time you have, thinking you have all the time in the world.
Then, it’s gone and you feel as if the universe is unjust and cruel.
My wife keeps the ashes of her best little bud on our mantle.
We are retiring and moving out of state.
His little box of ashes and collar on not going with the movers. They are going on the front passenger seat with her.
Vaya Con Dios to your four legged friend. I worry not where he is going, nor should you.
Condolences, and echoes of all the above.
Just read the Rainbow Bridge…again…sorry for your heartache, he is well.
I’m sorry for your loss…
So sorry for your loss. I hope you can get through the pain as successfully as possible!
My condolences
I’m so sorry. Lost both of mine two years ago.
Well shit.
Sorry, A.C. We grieve with you.
My deep condolences for your loss.
Also, my thanks for sharing a few short stories of how much your dog meant to you.
Been there. So sorry for your loss.
Dogs become family and we morn there loss. So sorry!
Sorry for your loss.
Tonight I will toast Old Dog with a bit of the finest 14 y/o bourbon to ever sneak out of the back gate of any distillery.
Dogs are so much more than “just pets,” they are family. Actually, in many ways dogs are better than family in their unquestioning loyality and the comfort and smiles they bring. I am very sorry for you and your family’s loss. Please except my condolences.
Dammit. So very sorry to hear another good dog has left us. I hope you can find some solace in your memories of him. He was a good dog.
There’s never been a significant time in my life that I haven’t had K9 companions. I’ve been through what you’re enduring many times…most recently two years ago when the best dog I’ve ever had the privilege of loving passed on Christmas eve.
You can take solace in the fact that you provided a loving home and comfortable life to a friend that may otherwise have never had that opportunity.
Be the kind of man your dog thought you were.
I’ve put a dog down, and I’ve had one die on me. I cried both times, because as stupid as one of them was, they were both good and loyal pups.
Chin up, and remember the good times.
I share your sorrow, AC. It may comfort you to know that while he shared a significant part of your life, you were all of his. And given his loyalty and love he judged you as splendid as his master. You were found worthy. That’s not something everybody can claim. Mourn, for such a thing is so rare it should be treasured and respected and honored with our sorrow when it ends.
Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferosity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.
I hate to hear that. Sorry AC.
So sorry to hear this AC
Your furry friend’s departing has left a huge hole in your life. It’s times like these we wonder if it is worth it. But it is. They bring such joy and caring into our lives. Its just the pain at the end is so hard. Rejoice in remembering the time you had together.
Our heartfelt condolences.
Very sorry about your loss. He’s somewhere, running free and without pain or debility. Courage and loyalty for a lifetime.
Sorry to hear that AC.
All the best.
My sincerest condolences AC.
Very sorry to hear that. He had a good run and I hope he went without too much pain.
My sincere condolences on your loss. We don’t deserve dogs, do we?
Sorry to hear about your dog AC. Even when we know the end is coming, it still hurts all the same.
Sorry AC. I’ve had to bury many dogs in my life, and it’s always hard. Thank you for posting a picture of him a while back so we could immediately remember him and his gentle demeanor.
Ouch. That’s sad.
Just saw this, AC. I, too, just lost a beloved dog, mine of 14 years. May the pain you feel reflect the depth of love you had for your dog, but not equal it. I’ll raise a quiet glass of whiskey, to Damn Fine Dogs.
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That really sucks. Sorry.
Godspeed………..
I went thru the same thing a couple of years ago…..I wrote something that made me get a better grip on my grief, aching spirit and tears at the very mention of my dog’s name. I sincerely wish you the best. Jack-boy was a rescue that wandered into my yard one night and gave me quite a start. I thought a coyote had me cornered.
This is the story….
Early this afternoon when I pulled my truck up to the curb, I caught a movement at my driveway gate. I glanced, then did an immediate retake and looked again. I could have sworn I saw my Husky Jack-boy standing at the gate. Waiting just like he did every day. Sunshine or rain and he especially loved, and I mean couldn’t get enough of running around in the rain.
It took longer for me to write about it than the flashback lasted. Jack-boy was in a lot of pain, his rear leg was a mangled mess with no ball joint to connect to his hip. The inhumans who had him let him get hit by a car and heal on his own, laying in their back yard unattended I’m sure. He also had heart-worms. I fixed what I could, the heart-worms, and loved the rest and loved him a little bit more everyday. Until that day I held his head in my hands, put my face against his and told him I loved him and I would miss him so very much and I watched him slip away.
So I thought I’d share something that always makes me get that Tabasco Sauce in the eyes effect.
It’s called “The Legend of The Rainbow Bridge.”
According to Norse Legend, the sacred Rainbow Bridge called Bifrost connects Midgard (the realm of humankind) with Asgard (the realm of the Gods). Also known as Asabru (“Bridge of Gods”), Bifrost was magically constructed from fire, water and air…whose quivering and changing hues it has retained. Not only do the Gods use this Bridge to travel to and from the Earth, it also leads to the Urdar Well, situated at the foot of the great ash Yggdrasil, where they assemble daily in council.
Of all the Gods only Thor, God of Thunder, never passes over the Bridge for fear it might be demolished by his heavy tread and lightning bolts. The Watchman God Heimdall stands guard over over Bifrost night and day. Armed with a trenchant sword, he carries a trumpet called Giallar-horn, upon which he generally blows a soft note to announce the coming or going of the Gods. However, Heimdell is destined to sound a terrible trump at the dawn of Ragnarok…the time the Frost Giants will unite with Surtr to destroy the world. During Ragnarok…the end of the cosmos…it is said that Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge, will collapse and shatter beneath the weight of the monsters
The following poem is inspired by this Norse Legend
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
— Steve and Diane Bodofsky —
Run Jack-Boy, RUN! On strong, sturdy legs and a brand new heart, Run Jack-Boy, RUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim Lago Corpus Christi, Texas
Thank you. That’s beautiful.
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