Dogs give us unwavering comfort in the moment. Photos give us the comfort of treasured memories. Digital images are incomplete. The photos on our walls have soul!
I put so much effort into Instagram for years, hoping to get 'noticed' or to work with brands. All to no avail. Funny fact- I have a pet tortoise named Nestor who wiggles his butt when I scratch it. He came over to me as I was sitting (and sipping some whiskey) in the garden one day and I posted a reel of this on Instagram. Boom! Several thousand views in just a couple of hours!
My deep condolences for the loss of your son. Dezi is amazing. I would never know she was anxious from these photos!!! Dogs are the best. They are always so happy to see you. I grew up with dogs. 🐶 They are always so funny. I don’t have one now but I had a rescue shih tzu ( can never spell that right) for 14 years. She was so smart and hysterical. I love watching the IG dog profiles. I don’t know how the owners get some of them to wear glasses and stuff, though. I don’t think my Pepper would have ever liked them on her face.
Very sorry for your loss, but glad Dezi came into your life. I lost both my dogs a couple of years ago due to age, everyone needs one in their life and hope to find one that doesn't mine cats again one day. Thank you for sharing such an emotional piece. xx
So the lady researching and writing a business plan to start her own dog treat business says this question is a no-brainer.
My current pup is the only one we've ever gotten from a breeder, and incidentally, the only puppy we've ever had. ALL of our other dogs were rescued seniors and my heart overflows with how much love they gave us and how much we miss them.
I had no idea how much of a clown a pug could be, but holy dog biscuits, does she make us laugh!
I loooove that you have been a senior dog rescuer! That's kind of a quiet dream of mine, to give old dogs their best golden years. It would be sad as hell but so rewarding ❤️
My brother, the amazing old soul he doesn't even know he is-- he does the same! He's had 2 older senior girl German shepherds now. I give him such credit for this! ❤️ it's so wonderful to as was said, gift the doggie some amazing golden years!
My hubs when I met him was living at his father's with a dog named Shelby. It had been 8 years since I had a pet (a cat named Olli who passed away from a long illness and broke my heart)-- if not for meeting Shelby and letting her into my heart I would not have gotten my next kitty my Hope who lights up my life and has led me to also get Chino another kitty and also to meet miss Bruce, my brother in laws pup who also stole my heart. ❤️ dogs are awesome. I'll never forget it.
I love this so much!!! Love that a dog inspired you to get more pets. It's hard thinking about getting new ones after losing other ones and going through the heartbreak.
I am anticipating the next heartbreak unfortunately now as Hope is sick and it's a struggle. But I'm glad my heart is always going to be open now to more pets as I know Hope within just her name saved me and all thanks to Shelby. ❤️ the doggie who was a rescue herself.
Yep! Exactly. Unfortunately our pets will not outlive us... I just wish they would! So I'd never have to say goodbye. And as I say this I want to say I'm sorry for your loss. That cannot be easy whatsoever and I commend you on writing about it and not just writing about it-- but in a beautiful and open and honest manner.
I truly believe in this. I lost my mother 4 years ago on Jan 19th and I started really writing again after that. It's cathartic in so many ways and enlightening too. I've even started getting more in touch with my shadow now because of it and am learning more about me. Therapeutic is the best word I can think of for it. ❤️
Sweet photos of a very sweet dog. You have a lot of grief to bear, Kristi, and you will bear it for your whole life. I am sure your dog helps soften the blow in a way. Any dog would.
First off I am so, so sorry for your loss. Secondly, photos in the comments would be great. People love their pets and we're always game to share them, so I think it would be a good idea and would definitely prompt more commenting!
I don't have my own dog yet, but I'm hoping that will change one day in the not so far away future. I absolutely LOVE dogs. Their love is unconditional and they're always happy to be with you. ❤️ Great post! Give Dezi a hug for me. :)
I will let others speak to the loveliness of this post. But Krisit, my bud, I will not let this one go. I'ma gonna dog you about this line:
"For old people (me), the daily desire to make my dog’s Instagram more appealing forced me to learn. It was like continuing ed for a while!"
You know full well I'm not going to let an ageist comment about your much-younger, gorgeous, vibrant self slip by. Don't let me catch you calling yourself old again, my friend, or I shall march up to Canada and strike you repeatedly with a wet vacuum cleaner bag full of dog hair.
I am well aware that the emotional demands of your life have likely left you feeling old. I can relate; there were days from the past nearly two years that I felt aged. But we are not. We are what we say we are. Words matter. YOU matter.
YOU matter to your readers. I stand with all of us to get in the face of calling ourselves old before our time. When is our time? Hell. When we die. THEN we are freaking old.
I celebrate you and your doggo, and I celebrate you and your memories and I celebrate your choice to live in the face of terrible grief. I do not support or celebrate anything which could possibly rob you of so many good years of writing material your readers need by coming after yourself for what you are not. You are not old. You are seasoned. Wiser. Growing. Hell, Kristi, you haven't even started your Goddess years.
I should have known you'd call me out for that!! 😁 But you know me well enough to know I HAD to slip in that tongue-in-cheek comment. I can self-deprecate with the best of them!!
Thanks (as usual) for such lovely and meaningful words Julia ❤️
Those are great photos, but what really made the story was your vulnerability and your willingness to share why the dog means so much to you. Nice work.
Thank you for saying that Tom. If we can't be vulnerable, what's the point, right? I think grief is the most universal human affliction that exists. Everyone can relate on some level. I'm just lucky to have a canine companion who puts up with my highs and lows 😊
Dogs give us unwavering comfort in the moment. Photos give us the comfort of treasured memories. Digital images are incomplete. The photos on our walls have soul!
I put so much effort into Instagram for years, hoping to get 'noticed' or to work with brands. All to no avail. Funny fact- I have a pet tortoise named Nestor who wiggles his butt when I scratch it. He came over to me as I was sitting (and sipping some whiskey) in the garden one day and I posted a reel of this on Instagram. Boom! Several thousand views in just a couple of hours!
That's priceless about your tortoise 😁😁 I love that!
The internet sure loves animals and so do I. I go down the rabbit hole all the time!
My deep condolences for the loss of your son. Dezi is amazing. I would never know she was anxious from these photos!!! Dogs are the best. They are always so happy to see you. I grew up with dogs. 🐶 They are always so funny. I don’t have one now but I had a rescue shih tzu ( can never spell that right) for 14 years. She was so smart and hysterical. I love watching the IG dog profiles. I don’t know how the owners get some of them to wear glasses and stuff, though. I don’t think my Pepper would have ever liked them on her face.
They really are the best, aren't they? They fill so many gaps in our lives. I can't even remember what I did with my time before Dezi 😁
And thank you Elle. It's been a long journey but I'm still here!
OMG sobbing at this beautiful story ❤️💔
Very sorry for your loss, but glad Dezi came into your life. I lost both my dogs a couple of years ago due to age, everyone needs one in their life and hope to find one that doesn't mine cats again one day. Thank you for sharing such an emotional piece. xx
Losing dogs is devastating as well. I agree, everyone should have one in their lives! I hope you find another that fills the hole ❤️
So the lady researching and writing a business plan to start her own dog treat business says this question is a no-brainer.
My current pup is the only one we've ever gotten from a breeder, and incidentally, the only puppy we've ever had. ALL of our other dogs were rescued seniors and my heart overflows with how much love they gave us and how much we miss them.
I had no idea how much of a clown a pug could be, but holy dog biscuits, does she make us laugh!
I loooove that you have been a senior dog rescuer! That's kind of a quiet dream of mine, to give old dogs their best golden years. It would be sad as hell but so rewarding ❤️
My brother, the amazing old soul he doesn't even know he is-- he does the same! He's had 2 older senior girl German shepherds now. I give him such credit for this! ❤️ it's so wonderful to as was said, gift the doggie some amazing golden years!
My hubs when I met him was living at his father's with a dog named Shelby. It had been 8 years since I had a pet (a cat named Olli who passed away from a long illness and broke my heart)-- if not for meeting Shelby and letting her into my heart I would not have gotten my next kitty my Hope who lights up my life and has led me to also get Chino another kitty and also to meet miss Bruce, my brother in laws pup who also stole my heart. ❤️ dogs are awesome. I'll never forget it.
I love this so much!!! Love that a dog inspired you to get more pets. It's hard thinking about getting new ones after losing other ones and going through the heartbreak.
I am anticipating the next heartbreak unfortunately now as Hope is sick and it's a struggle. But I'm glad my heart is always going to be open now to more pets as I know Hope within just her name saved me and all thanks to Shelby. ❤️ the doggie who was a rescue herself.
That's the downside of pet parenting. The inevitability that we WILL have to say goodbye loooong before we're ready. 😪
Yep! Exactly. Unfortunately our pets will not outlive us... I just wish they would! So I'd never have to say goodbye. And as I say this I want to say I'm sorry for your loss. That cannot be easy whatsoever and I commend you on writing about it and not just writing about it-- but in a beautiful and open and honest manner.
Thank you Laura. It's been just over 3 years now and I must say that writing has been one of the only things that helped me get through.
I truly believe in this. I lost my mother 4 years ago on Jan 19th and I started really writing again after that. It's cathartic in so many ways and enlightening too. I've even started getting more in touch with my shadow now because of it and am learning more about me. Therapeutic is the best word I can think of for it. ❤️
Sweet photos of a very sweet dog. You have a lot of grief to bear, Kristi, and you will bear it for your whole life. I am sure your dog helps soften the blow in a way. Any dog would.
So very true on all counts. ❤
First off I am so, so sorry for your loss. Secondly, photos in the comments would be great. People love their pets and we're always game to share them, so I think it would be a good idea and would definitely prompt more commenting!
Thank you Kimi. ❤ And I totally agree!
Yes, being able to share photos here would be fab. I know Kristi has started picture threads in Notes.
I love this story. Beautiful photos. Our dogs are our heroes. Even the hair on the chest is shaped like a S-- Superman cape. Apollo has this too.
Our last dog, Simon, got me through BCancer and depression. I'm convinced he took on my pain and died young because of it.
I'm dropping a story about my pooch tomorrow! There are no coincidences.
More dog stories please. 🙏🏻
I bet Simon was an amazing life partner who willingly took that on for you. They truly are heroes indeed.
Super looking forward to your dog story!
Simon is the inspiration for my WIP novel. :)
Dezi is adorbs!
Yeah....she kind of is 😁😁
I don't have my own dog yet, but I'm hoping that will change one day in the not so far away future. I absolutely LOVE dogs. Their love is unconditional and they're always happy to be with you. ❤️ Great post! Give Dezi a hug for me. :)
I hope it happens for you sooner than you think! I know you (we) are just getting back on our feet in life but someday things will be just right.
❤️ I really hope so!. In the meantime, there's two dogs at the house I'm in, so that works! Lol
How have you been? Fingers crossed we both get a break, somehow, someway!
Bonus about living with dogs!! All the pleasure, none of the poop pick up 😂
I've been meh. Just really trying to get my shit together here.
Lol, I hear ya about the meh... I love Millie, but holy crap... she has a hyper sonic bark and there's no rhyme or reason what she'll bark at lol :S.
These lessons outline a lot of the reasons why I write fiction about dogs in anthropomorphic form.
I don't know anything about that big word but....DOGS!!! 🐕
I will let others speak to the loveliness of this post. But Krisit, my bud, I will not let this one go. I'ma gonna dog you about this line:
"For old people (me), the daily desire to make my dog’s Instagram more appealing forced me to learn. It was like continuing ed for a while!"
You know full well I'm not going to let an ageist comment about your much-younger, gorgeous, vibrant self slip by. Don't let me catch you calling yourself old again, my friend, or I shall march up to Canada and strike you repeatedly with a wet vacuum cleaner bag full of dog hair.
I am well aware that the emotional demands of your life have likely left you feeling old. I can relate; there were days from the past nearly two years that I felt aged. But we are not. We are what we say we are. Words matter. YOU matter.
YOU matter to your readers. I stand with all of us to get in the face of calling ourselves old before our time. When is our time? Hell. When we die. THEN we are freaking old.
I celebrate you and your doggo, and I celebrate you and your memories and I celebrate your choice to live in the face of terrible grief. I do not support or celebrate anything which could possibly rob you of so many good years of writing material your readers need by coming after yourself for what you are not. You are not old. You are seasoned. Wiser. Growing. Hell, Kristi, you haven't even started your Goddess years.
You are magnificent. Period full stop.
I should have known you'd call me out for that!! 😁 But you know me well enough to know I HAD to slip in that tongue-in-cheek comment. I can self-deprecate with the best of them!!
Thanks (as usual) for such lovely and meaningful words Julia ❤️
Thank you for this post. It’s heartbreaking to hear about your loss, and at the same time so fantastic to see that photo shoot. Now I want another dog
You should definitely get another dog. Get ALL the dogs!
Those are great photos, but what really made the story was your vulnerability and your willingness to share why the dog means so much to you. Nice work.
Thank you for saying that Tom. If we can't be vulnerable, what's the point, right? I think grief is the most universal human affliction that exists. Everyone can relate on some level. I'm just lucky to have a canine companion who puts up with my highs and lows 😊
Thank you Maureen ❤️
ALL the feels! That beautiful boy. You and he, and then you and Dezi. My heart
😊😊 I feel the same way looking at young Curtis. He was way too cool for his own good 😁
Great pictures