… When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
Dylan Thomas “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
One year ago today was one of the hardest days of my life. June 20, 2018, was the day I had to say goodbye to a little black Pug that my ex and I had rescued back in 2010. Looking back, I had no idea how this little girl, weighing in at around 24 lbs., who constantly wheezed, snorted, and farted because the Pug breed is brachycephalic, a fancy word for saying they have short snouts, would come steal my heart.
Ms. Pickles was going in for a routine teeth cleaning, but the intubation tube irritated her trachea causing it to swell and not allowing Pickles to breath when the tube was removed. I was in Moses Lake when I got the call that Pickles was unable to breath without being intubated. I dropped everything and left work and drove the 2 1/2 hours to Winthrop to the veterinary clinic where I was able to say my goodbyes and hold my little girl while she was put to sleep. Me ex and I took her home and buried her in our back yard.
Fast forward to today. So much has changed over the last 365 days, but my love for my little girl has not waned and the hole her passing has left in my heart is still there and will probably always be there. There are times in our lives that we have dogs and then are times when we have a “dog”. Ms. Pickles was definitely the latter. She had so much personality and character; it was like having a two-year old around. She was also a stinker and moody, again just like a two-year old, but I loved her to bits.
To my little Miss Pickles, you passed over the rainbow bridge a year ago today, but there are those still here on this mortal coil that love and miss you. It was a blessing to have you in my life and it is my hope that one day we will be reunited and you’ll take your place on the left armrest.