My friend, Br. Mark, penned the following article a month ago and I saved it for this particular day, the first anniversary of the passing of my own dog, Tucker, who succumbed to kidney failure after a two year struggle. Over the past year I wondered if I was being selfish by not putting him to sleep when he was first diagnosed. Br. Mark’s thoughts in this article reassured me.
“Tuck” was never in any pain, patiently endured the daily treatments he received right up until the end (we won’t talk about the tricks he learned to avoid talking his pills!). Tuck was an example of patient endurance, loyalty, trust and unqualified love. He passed away in my arms wagging his tail. I will simply close by quoting Br. Mark: “I believe anything that allows us to love with a pure heart is a grace sent to us by God. Grace is a gift, loving pets are as well, as is a gift when we show love towards them.”
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
“Many people do not understand the depth of love that many pet owners have for their charges. Blitz was one of our dogs and my mom had a deep connection with him. Blitz was a boxer and very intelligent, sometimes uncannily so. When Blitz died, my mom would never allow herself to have another dog, the loss was so painful for her.
I talked with a friend today whose beloved pet is nearing death. She is a nurse and she spends her days taking care of others, so having a pet dog I believe not only allowed her to be loved unconditionally by her pet, but she also loved taking care of it. The dog is very intelligent, and like many dogs there is always the intuition that there is more there than meets the eye. So my friend’s pet that has been with her for 15 years, is now coming to an end. She will do whatever it takes to keep her ‘Abby’ comfortable, but when the time comes she will be with her when the moment arrives to release her.
Love is love after all, having a pet and loving it is just a species of love. Her dog is not a replacement for human interaction, since she is a nurse and a very good one. Love has a price, separation. Those who have pets know that price when they bring that puppy or adopted pet home. Time is like a bullet train it goes by so fast. We all must learn to let go, but it can be so very difficult.
I believe anything that allows us to love with a pure heart is a grace sent to us by God. Grace is a gift, loving pets are as well, as is a gift when we show love towards them. Love is a dance, it is only interrupted when love becomes domineering then it becomes something else, something cruel and dehumanizing.”
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
