The Unconditional Love of a Dog: In Loving Memory of Sassy

On December 18, 2013 my little girl Sassy, my furry child passed on.  She was so sweet, kind and unconditionally loving.  She taught me so much.  She was 16 or 17 in dog years and shared my life for the last 12.  Here is our story.

Sassy happened upon my dad’s farm in Wisconsin the Summer of 2001.  She and her brother Ted were very ragged and hungry.   I was single at the time and when I met her, I knew I wanted a dog.  I met her and her sweetness overtook me.  I called my dad to ask if I could take Sassy.  “Well of course you can” he said.  Sassy and I went through so much together.  She even moved to Colorado with me.  She was my companion.   Just her presence provided me with so much.  She was always waiting when I returned from my trips.  She was my steady.  Everyone loved Sassy, she was the easiest dog in the world.  In fact, I only kenneled her once in 12 years, she had so many that loved her.  We both were so grateful for that and for all the wonderful other caretakers she had.

In the last few years her health was failing and I was afraid for the day when she would no longer be by my side.  I always wondered if this would be the last Christmas sweater I would buy her the last few years.   I had so hoped she would just pass peacefully in her sleep but she did not.  She had very bad joint and hip pain.  It had spread throughout her body.  It was so bad that at the end she could not get out of her bed in the morning.  She would lay and cry.  Her crying hurt me more than I could have imagined it would.  You know, dogs they just don’t really complain about much so when she did I knew it was really serious.  I guess I can also be so grateful for all the years that she did not show me her pain.  She actually had been very afraid of storms.  It was wonderful when first we moved to CO where we have less thunder and second when she lost her hearingJ.

When it was time, I am so grateful that my new husband of three months was with me.  I could never have done it alone.  I held her in my arms for her last breaths.  He held me.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done.  It was also the highest honor I have had thus far in my life, to witness the passing of such a beautiful soul.  To be there for her and hold her in her last minutes was an honor.  It is still hard to write about but I wanted to honor her here.  She deserves it.  I brought her photo into my office today as this will be the first day I see a client without her in 12 years.  She was always here, helping me with my clients (especially the kids who loved to pet her) and just being a loving calm presence.  Her presence is still here with me and deserves to be here so I have her photo facing my clients.

She taught me that we can all learn at any age.  As she got older she was peeing in the house more and having some trouble with her hips.  I found Zukes dog treats online (we recommend them) and Sassy loved her Zukes.  I decided to try to train her to pee better outside so when she came in I started to give her a Zukes.  She caught on quite quickly.  One day after I took her out and she peed, I came in and started a kitchen project.  I turned around after about 15 minutes to see her staring at me “where are my Zukes, did you forget?”.  I was so proud of her that she reminded me.  She taught me that old dogs (all of us) can learn new tricks.

I have heard so many people share their stories about the amazing love of a pet.  It seems our connection to these dear animals really is an aspect of our own healing and love on this planet.  So many of them share this journey with us, I am so grateful.  They are special gifts.

For the last 5 days I have worked steady on my new self-love book as I had a huge deadline.  The book is In Love With Me: The 7 Healing Strategies for Successful Partnerships, Parenting and Performance.  As I look at the chapters – Choosing Love, Forgiveness and Trust, Acceptance, Relationships, Boundaries, Healing and Happiness, I learned about all of these from her.  I honestly learned a lot about self-love from this precious dog.  She truly has been my longest relationship.  She was always there waiting when I returned from my long solo journeys.  Her steadfast love is truly missed.   I do feel her loving spirit and I know she is always with me, especially in my heart.

Thank you for your love and I love you Sassy Roo.