October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. To my way of thinking, for anyone looking for a new best friend it’s the right way to go.
It’s been four years since my husband and I shared our home with a four-legged friend. A high-energy, strong-minded, gorgeous husky mix, our Ani was, like most dogs, devoted, protective and loving. I was, however, still shocked by how incomplete life felt after her passing.
We’ve always had dogs and I’ve never had problems getting another after one passes away. But not this time. I think maybe it was the suddenness of her demise, or perhaps that I had to make the decision to end her life that hit so hard.
Healthy and bouncy one day, she had within a couple of weeks spiralled downward, suffering lack of appetite, loss of bodily function and rapid weight loss. The diagnosis, cancer. The treatment, none. Our girl was terminal and the vet assured me, as I vacillated between hanging on to her for as long as possible or easing her suffering sooner, that I had probably kept her alive longer than I should have.
Through the first few months after, my husband kept telling people that of course we’d be getting another dog soon. However, in the face of my adamant refusal he has given up it seems. The thing is that I don’t miss a dog, I miss my dog.
Should I ever change my mind some day in the future, however, I’m fairly sure that I will be visiting a shelter to find our new best friend. I’ve never been one for designer dogs, so would be quite content if the one that finds us just happens to be a cute mutt.
To promote Adopt a Shelter Dog Month here are some great collections of photos:
