“But in the end journey’s brought joys
That outweigh the pain.”
– Frank Turner, “Journey of the Magi”
On Tuesday, June 24th we said goodbye to our dog Sherlock. He was the best boy. He was picky about who he accepted, but, once you were part of his inner circle he loved hard.
We adopted him in December 2012. He was 8 months old but had been so malnourished as a puppy that the vet thought his growth was likely stunted. When I think back to my life back then, things were so different it kind of makes my head spin. We lived in the first house we bought together after marriage. My mom was still healthy. Danny had just started his Masters Degree program and I went to work every day (with our older dog, Gracie) over at my parents house.
Sherlock got me through the worst years of my life. He was there when his sister died right at the beginning of Covid. He let me cry on the sofa with him when my mom started getting sick. The nights that I couldn’t sleep because of anxiety he would follow me to the sofa or guest bedroom and make sure I was ok. He was my security blanket, co-work and confidant all wrapped into one.
In March he got diagnosed with what was likely spleen cancer and we opted for pallative care instead of surgery. I know that he is in a better place and am thankful that his last day was not his worst one.
For the most part I have been handling things ok. But, yesterday we got a condolence card in the mail from his vet office. We have had a relationship with some of the people who work there for 15+ years and reading the notes that some of them wrote got me in my feelings big time. Even though he hated going there and peed in the middle of the waiting room on his last visit in May, a lot of the vet techs were the people who knew him best. Last year when one of the vets took him in the back for bloodwork she said it was like a king had entered the room with the way people fell all over themselves to come give him love and say hello.
The week before he died I made two recipes for this blog. I have not been able to bring myself to download the pictures (I even got my good camera out and made sure to frame the shots so Sherlock was in them). I am not sure if they will ever see the light of day, but, it is a nice memory of having him accompany me in the kitchen.