New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Conn. a great place for dogs to live too
I recently lost my dog, and it was one of the hardest experiences of my life. If you have a dog, you can understand why. Dogs are not just a pet; they are part of the family. They truly become your best friend and you become theirs. There were times when I was away from my dog, Jack, that I wished that he had a cellphone so I could text or FaceTime him to see what was going on.
Jack kept me company like no one else could. There were many nights when we would we watch “Orange is the New Black” together and share a bag of popcorn. He was the best confidante because you knew he would never tell your secrets, not even by accident. Jack was with me for many milestones in my life. He was there when I started law school and later graduated, when I started my first job, and when I met my now husband. Through the constant changes of life, his companionship was the one thing that never changed.
During the height of the pandemic, he gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. On my lunch hour, we would go on walks through my New York City neighborhood. That tradition, we continued when we moved to Connecticut. Jack loved living in Connecticut. He loved walking through the neighborhood and going for walks at Cove Island park in Stamford. In fact, I was quite proud of him when he put his paws in the Long Island
Sound for the first time with no fear. I take comfort in the fact that he got to spend his final days in Connecticut, a place that made him so happy.
When we realized that he was sick and would not get better, my husband and I made the difficult choice to put him down. It was like a sucker punch to the gut.
Our apartment which once was full of the sounds of his snores and snorts (he had a deviated septum) was now eerily quiet. I missed walking him and the experience of seeing the world through a dog’s eyes. I especially missed the way he would greet me when I would come home from work — holding a bright red ball in his mouth, happily wagging his tail.
Through my grief, I realized I was lucky to have had him, because I got to experience that unconditional love. Jack never cared that I was not a perfect person, he just loved me for who I was. I too loved Jack unconditionally. He could drive me crazy with his constant barking or his ability to try to eat anything that was not nailed down but I never stayed annoyed for long. I never not for one second did not love that dog. He was the sun and my life revolved around him.
When someone passes, people
I was quite proud of him when he put his paws in the Long Island Sound for the first time with no fear. I take comfort in the fact that he got to spend his final days in Connecticut, a place that made him so happy.
like to say that they are in a better place now. I like to think that Jack is running around in a big field while my grandfather, who has also passed on, throws him his favorite treats. Even though he is running around in that big field in the sky, I still very much feel his presence around me. Despite the constant changes of life, Jack’s companionship will be the one thing that never changes.