I am a dog lover. I love all animals, but I feel an extra special connection to dogs. I have two. They are part of my family and I love them dearly.
At the beginning of 2020, my family lost our beloved young dog. It happened suddenly. There was a clue that he was sick — a cough that came up when he was excited — but as it was winter and he regularly went to dog daycare, it was easy to assume it was a kennel cough he couldn’t kick.
One Sunday night in January, he seemed a bit obsessive about food, though for a two-year-old golden retriever, that wasn’t all that strange. He stole treats from his puppy sister's mouth and found ways to gorge on the kids' snacks. As we got ready for bed, I expected he would have a couple days of stomach issues.
As always, he faithfully stayed by me while I prepped for bed and tucked into his usual spot for sleep. An hour later, we awoke to him having trouble breathing. The next 15 hours were spent at the animal emergency hospital where my optimism for a quick recovery quickly turned to my worst nightmare.
When we said our final goodbyes I was still in shock that what was happening was real. So shocked I declined to have an autopsy performed, because what was done was done. For the record, I would suggest anyone in a similar situation absolutely get an autopsy to have information on what happened.
This was a dark moment. And yet I quickly saw the light that was meant to shine in our darkness. I had recently had a first reading with a medium who could channel the other side. In this moment, I knew that I needed to speak to him or to my loved ones who had crossed over to heaven to try to understand why this had happened.
I learned how important this boy truly was to me beyond just this life. This was part of his purpose. This moment, as painful and challenging as it was, was meant to happen to push me and my family on our intended life paths.
In this moment I was on a precipice. We have free will in this life. I know that I could have chosen to be mad at the universe and at God for taking my dear pup from me.
Instead I chose to heal; to allow and release all my pain and sadness and to not carry it with me. To allow a light into the darkness of my anger and grief to show me a new path forward in which I do not lose the pain, but I choose to transmute it to deep love and gratitude. It became incredibly important to me to never forget this lesson and to carry it forward.
Fast forward, I have learned so much this year after following this path of love and light. Life on this earth is about lessons. Nothing is without purpose. We learn through duality. In order to love, we must know grief and hate; in order to know truth, we must explore ideas; in order to be grateful, we must know loss.
My dear dog was a teacher to help lead me on my soul’s journey. I’m incredibly grateful for his gift.
