Having grown up in a family with ambiguous religious beliefs and lacking interest in participating in organized religious groups, I’ve had the opportunity to develop philosophies of my own over the years. “Group think”, dictated morality, and blind faith doesn’t work for me. Theories and promises of an afterlife abound and none tripped my trigger until I had Scottish Deerhounds.
As a giant breed, the average life expectancy of a Deerhound ranges from 8 years to 12 years. The majority do not make it to their 12th birthday. Regardless of age, their lives are too short, and the emptiness felt by that loss seems to continue unabated for years after they have gone.
In the Deerhound World, many of us like to believe that when one of our beloved hounds dies, he/she crosses over the Rainbow Bridge, a happy doggy “hunting ground”, until one day we are reunited. The Bridge offers dog lovers the solace that our dogs continue to exist in spirit and happily await a reunion with those she/he loved in life. In some ways, it makes our loss a bit more bearable but not less painful.
Xar (aka Xar Crost Lover of Glasdun) is our most recent tragic loss, having broken his leg due to previously undiagnosed Osteosarcoma. With little hope of his leg ever healing, we lost this boy at 6 years old. With him …. and the 2 preceding Boyz before him …. I have slipped ever further away the credo that “all things happen with a purpose.” With no personal deity to blame for his untimely death, I’m compelled to consider “fate” as the culprit or perhaps “luck of the draw”.
Xar Crost Lover of Glasdun
People who have never had pets, can’t understand the strong emotional bond between a person and their dog. One word can accurately describe the loss for most …. Devastating. I continue to miss all 3 … Haplo, Patryn, and Xar …. each special in their individual ways. Borrowing from Van Morrison, he says it best:
“I miss you so much, I can’t stand it
Seems like my heart is breaking in two
My head says no, but my soul demands it
And everything I do, reminds me of you
Everything I do, reminds me of you
Everything I do, reminds me of you”
Video … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iENabrrLSp0
This video is about missing a person …. friend, lover, relative. But when your best friend happens to have 4 legs, rather that 2, the message is still on target. They have moved on, leaving you behind with memories ….. never to be forgotten and always loved.……and, hopefully, waiting for you on the other side of the Bridge.
Deeply, heartfelt…I know it doesn’t make it easier but we share your pain.