The Love of a Dog

Is there anything like the love of a dog?   I don't think there is.   It may sound a bit cynical but I find it's true.  There is a lot of gray area with human beings.  But with dogs, nothing but love and loyalty.   I had a dog named Jack.   He was a Pure Bred Shih Tzu.  Originally he was my sister's dog.   When I'd visit her,  there just seemed to be something special happening between Jack and I.    I'd walk in her door and he would run up to me - tail wagging, excited, looking so happy.   If I stayed for an extended period of time, he'd follow me from room to room.  If I stayed over night,  he'd insist on sleeping with me.   I found out later from my sister that when I would leave her home, he would start whining.   This went on for a couple of years.  Eventually my sister said to me "He wants to be with you -why don't you take him?".   So, one day I did.   I had been living alone at that point and was very happy that way.   What I didn't know when I finally took Jack is what a difference he would make in my life.  I can only describe it as going from being a happy person to becoming someone whose entire life was nothing but complete joy.    Waking up every day and looking at that happy, joyous dog.  When he'd wake up he'd come into my office,  do some stretching, start wagging his tail and be so excited to start the day.  We'd take a nice walk and since Jack loved people so much -he'd approach any person that we'd encounter during our walks.  People would fawn over him.   He  became what I would call a neighborhood mascot.    After a nice long walk we'd return home and he would have something to eat, get a treat and then go lay down in the bed I had made for him.  He'd settle in and end up lying on his back (I called it spread eagle) with a big smile on his face.   I enjoy watching movies and when I did -Jack would bark (it was his way of communicating with me) until I'd pick him up and put him in my bed so he could watch the movie with me.  When I'd sit in my office and work or listen to music,   Jack would jump up on the love seat I have in my office and sit with me until I was done.     His groomer and veterinarian both said the same thing about him "He's a special dog".  He certainly was.  I lived this life with him for a little over ten years.  Looking back I can easily say it was the happiest ten years of my life.   Unfortunately, as is with most dogs, there is a sad ending.  Jack got sick in late 2016.  He was almost 13 years old at that point.  I spent the next couple of months being a 24/7 nurse for him.  We went back and forth to the vet several times and he would rally - which would make me hopeful, but unfortunately, he'd go back to the same place.   This went on for a couple of months.  In January of 2017 he lost his eyesight.  Soon thereafter he lost control of his bodily functions.   Although these certainly weren't pleasant things to watch - I didn't mind.  I was happy to take care of him.   The end came on Jan. 31 of 2017.   That evening, for the very first time, he started yelping in pain.    I made immediate arrangements first thing in the morning to put him down.   He had lived 13 years and 5 days.   Putting him down was the hardest thing I ever did in my life but it was the right thing to do.   As any dog lover would know, the suffering you experience after losing your dog is agonizing.   I cried and cried and cried and cried.   You eventually recover but only to a certain degree.  I still have my moments when I think of him and miss him so much.  It's been a little over 2 years since I lost him.  I've come to the conclusion that there are some losses you simply are never going to completely get over.   I have a hope though.  I have a hope there is a Heaven.   To me there is only one way to be sure there is a Heaven.  When my time comes and I leave the Earth - if I open my eyes and see that happy, joyous little Shih Tzu wagging his tail so excited to see me,  then I'll know I made it to the pearly gates.  That continues to be my hope.   For me there is nothing else like it; The Love of a Dog.