If you have ever had a pet you will know what Mary and I felt Monday when we had to deliver our loving and loved dog, Belle, the finest dog in all the world, to her maker.
I’ll not go into all the details, it will be too painful. If you have never loved a pet, you won’t understand, and if you have shared a pets unconditional love you need no explanation.
Belle was born in December 1999; we adopted her from her home in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin February 2000. She has given us more pleasure than we could ever have imagined. She was so well behaved, she was also a trained pet therapy dog and served in two nursing home in Roswell, Georgia. She was one of only five dogs who served at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta.
Everyone who met Belle loved her. Even my mother, who having raised nine kids had little time for “house pets”, fell in love with Belle. At their
first meeting she let Belle sit in her lap, a place never before occupied by a canine in all Mom’s previous 86 years. “She’s not a dog,” she would say. “She’s Belle.”
There are so many reasons why a family or any individual should have a dog. One of my teen patients told me “Having a dog is like always having a best friend.” The she added, “People should be more like dogs.”
Belle developed heart failure about a year ago; Mary said it was because she wore it out with all of her loving. I must agree. A month ago her kidneys failed and she soon lost interest in food and even refused water. She had a wonderful life, but she gave so much more.
When we realized her time had come I made her a comfortable box and she now rests in our back yard. We’ll miss her love, and I’ll even miss her help with my typing. “Thanks Belle, See you on the other side.”