My wonderful dog Sally passed away in Feb this year age 16 and i miss her deeply. I wonder if you mind me sharing with you this piece of writing, i woke up with it in my head about 2 days after she passed, and wrote it out in about 5 minutes. It contains all the memories i want to remember and i hope you don't mind me sharing them with you.
Thank you for the memories
When I first saw your bedraggled face,
Peeping through the bars in the shelter, I fell in love,
Your huge brown eyes pleaded somehow,
I didn’t look at any others it was just you and me,
Taking you home your thin frame was filthy,
Your first bath a revelation to us both,
I still remember the black that came off,
All those years ago,
And we struggled at first you and I,
Your trust had been tainted by someone else,
I can only imagine what your first years of life were like,
The only tales you could tell were from,
Your malnourished body and multitude of bad habits,
How your tail would split and bleed when you wagged it,
How you would hide from me if I showed anger,
And sometimes if I didn’t,
How you would steal food and eat slugs,
Sometimes I didn’t think I could cope,
I couldn’t let you off the lead because you ran away,
It took me time and patience to show you,
You don’t need to do that now you have us,
And we will be there for you always,
Some days we just didn’t get on,
But slowly a routine formed the beginning of our bond,
A walk every day, a warm place to sleep,
And always a nice meal, soon your tail didn’t bleed any more,
In fact it went from hanging between your legs to curling up,
I took that as a sign of you healing, not just physically,
I found it hard at the time, now I look back,
I see it was a learning experience for both you and me,
Things became better when we moved,
Lush fields nearby were times of fun,
Hiding in the long grass and playing chase,
Then falling over and laughing while you licked my face,
You no longer ran away, you accepted this life,
On holiday you ran on the beach,
And many days we played and played,
On bonfire night we thought we would show you,
That fireworks are fun and not just noise,
We took you to the fields, but when we looked down,
You were there fainted on the ground,
We learned, some things can’t be healed,
As time went by I realised how much you liked hugs,
You made little noises when I showered you with kisses,
You never pulled away but your eyes smiled,
A guard dog you were not though,
One day I came home and the house seemed empty,
I peered through the window to the conservatory,
And was amused to see two huge scared eyes peep back,
Then your face turned to relief when you saw who it was,
And you ran to me for a cuddle, that memory is dear,
It was through you I learned real empathy,
When I sat back and thought,
Are feelings really so different for you, than they are for me?
A new understanding formed that is with me now,
I am grateful to you for showing me how,
Christmas was fun because you loved presents,
Each year we bought and wrapped,
You loved cuddly toys, they didn’t stay in one piece for long,
And neither did the wrapping,
The floor would be filled with a flurry of torn paper,
As you ran round having fun,
We squealed and laughed, those memories will last,
Sally everything about you is captured in our hearts,
When Mum and Dad bought a puppy,
You accepted him and showed him how to play,
Even though he out grew you by far,
You were always the boss,
If he had a toy, you had to have it,
He would wail and bark as you crept towards him,
Your face triumphant as you grabbed the toy,
Playful days, you squeaked toys, chewed bones,
Played tug, those were good times,
I can’t believe fifteen years went by so fast,
Now you are gone and part of me is too,
There is a void that can’t be filled,
Because that void held you,
I hope that you know how much you were loved,
I just want to say, thank you for the memories.
Thank you for the memories
When I first saw your bedraggled face,
Peeping through the bars in the shelter, I fell in love,
Your huge brown eyes pleaded somehow,
I didn’t look at any others it was just you and me,
Taking you home your thin frame was filthy,
Your first bath a revelation to us both,
I still remember the black that came off,
All those years ago,
And we struggled at first you and I,
Your trust had been tainted by someone else,
I can only imagine what your first years of life were like,
The only tales you could tell were from,
Your malnourished body and multitude of bad habits,
How your tail would split and bleed when you wagged it,
How you would hide from me if I showed anger,
And sometimes if I didn’t,
How you would steal food and eat slugs,
Sometimes I didn’t think I could cope,
I couldn’t let you off the lead because you ran away,
It took me time and patience to show you,
You don’t need to do that now you have us,
And we will be there for you always,
Some days we just didn’t get on,
But slowly a routine formed the beginning of our bond,
A walk every day, a warm place to sleep,
And always a nice meal, soon your tail didn’t bleed any more,
In fact it went from hanging between your legs to curling up,
I took that as a sign of you healing, not just physically,
I found it hard at the time, now I look back,
I see it was a learning experience for both you and me,
Things became better when we moved,
Lush fields nearby were times of fun,
Hiding in the long grass and playing chase,
Then falling over and laughing while you licked my face,
You no longer ran away, you accepted this life,
On holiday you ran on the beach,
And many days we played and played,
On bonfire night we thought we would show you,
That fireworks are fun and not just noise,
We took you to the fields, but when we looked down,
You were there fainted on the ground,
We learned, some things can’t be healed,
As time went by I realised how much you liked hugs,
You made little noises when I showered you with kisses,
You never pulled away but your eyes smiled,
A guard dog you were not though,
One day I came home and the house seemed empty,
I peered through the window to the conservatory,
And was amused to see two huge scared eyes peep back,
Then your face turned to relief when you saw who it was,
And you ran to me for a cuddle, that memory is dear,
It was through you I learned real empathy,
When I sat back and thought,
Are feelings really so different for you, than they are for me?
A new understanding formed that is with me now,
I am grateful to you for showing me how,
Christmas was fun because you loved presents,
Each year we bought and wrapped,
You loved cuddly toys, they didn’t stay in one piece for long,
And neither did the wrapping,
The floor would be filled with a flurry of torn paper,
As you ran round having fun,
We squealed and laughed, those memories will last,
Sally everything about you is captured in our hearts,
When Mum and Dad bought a puppy,
You accepted him and showed him how to play,
Even though he out grew you by far,
You were always the boss,
If he had a toy, you had to have it,
He would wail and bark as you crept towards him,
Your face triumphant as you grabbed the toy,
Playful days, you squeaked toys, chewed bones,
Played tug, those were good times,
I can’t believe fifteen years went by so fast,
Now you are gone and part of me is too,
There is a void that can’t be filled,
Because that void held you,
I hope that you know how much you were loved,
I just want to say, thank you for the memories.
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