My Loyal Companion

My best friend is approaching the Rainbow Bridge and as I prepare to help her further with the journey I keep hoping I can delay the inevitable even for just hours, days or hopefully months.

After writing recently about procrastination I came to realize even though I thought otherwise I have put off for years writing about the decline of my yellow Labrador Skyy – that’s two y’s like the Vodka – and the obvious eventuality that I am going to outlive her.

She is now halfway through her 13th people year and with the animal age multiplier she is closing in on the Century mark.

Being a lab, she has quite a bit of challenge getting around but continues to explore the acreage even with the cold weather and a couple of knee surgeries. This morning even she wandered off exploring in the snow at 3a.m.

Several years ago, Skyy walked into the birth of fawn twins and got pretty severally beat up by Momma who opened her up a number of places with her hooves chasing her out of the gully below the house and into the backyard where the doe pawed the ground and decided she might like a piece of me as well.

Since that occurrence every deer in the neighborhood realizes this is safe territory to roam or lounge – and Skyy is just fine with that.

Much like her master she groans at getting up or lying down and would just as soon – again not unlike her master – be waited on weighing the options of balancing the discomfort against the reward.

Skyy’s day consists of eating, drinking, sleeping yet moving at every distracting noise and propping herself on her elbows and from a few feet away staring at me.

I’ve read that is how an animal says they love you and I verbally agree any time I get the opportunity.

I’ve talked to her at length about what she means and has meant to me, letting her know that she has my permission to join a plethora of other canines which have gone to the next life and that I will be fine without her even if it will be an extremely difficult time.

I hate to leave her for any more than a few hours and was particularly concerned when I recently left for a week.

But while she didn’t eat much while I was gone and had some incontinence challenges, she still joyfully met me when I returned.

And so for now at least the gate of the Rainbow Bridge remains pulled closed but while I probably will never be ready for the eventuality, I know I’ll need to write about her passing and dread how difficult that will be.

There are those folks who don’t look on their pets in such a way and so be it but for me the comfort and companionship they have provided throughout my life has been unmeasurable.

Just sayin’

 

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