That's the trouble with these little guys is that they never live long enough. My mother, now passed since 2019, said the best way to honor our past dogs is to get more dogs. And while they are with us, it is wonderful, but when they pass, it is horrible.
The past year with the collapse of real estate sales (among other things, I'm a small-time real estate broker in my area) I've reverted to paying bills doing remote mechanical work and I hate leaving my aging labrador at home and especially so knowing my doggie help isn't always staying overnight with him.
I just got home from three weeks elsewhere and my soon-to-be-twelve-year-old-dog cried upon greeting me and pranced around for at least an hour upon my return. I devoted all of my initial time home to playing fetch and making a big deal out of my dog and while I was away, spent much of my "me time" thinking and praying over my dog.
As a Christian I like to think of dogs as angels who have humbled themselves, come down to our low place to show us a little bit of what heaven is like through their unconditional love. Everyday, I spend time with my dog and make a big fuss over him and every day our dogs spend time with us and make a big fuss over us.
All to say, I get it.
Photos are from summer of 2020.