Beautiful from the Inside Out
It’s so hard to lose a family member so precious. In my initial sorrow, I would sit and think of the many great and endearing stories about my girl, Anna. That helped me get through the sadness of missing her in our lives. Now, I celebrate her and how she has changed me forever.
Many years ago, my life changed for the better when I finished my design degree and decided to get a dog. Being single and moving forward in life, I knew a dog companion would be perfect. That’s when I met Anna, aka Trowsnest’s Shall We Dance (from the movie The King and I), on a snowy night in New Hampshire. She was more than a dream come true.
Within a month of sweet Anna arriving into my heart, my Dad became tragically ill. The doctor told us that he probably wouldn’t live through the night…oh but he did! Anna’s love and presence helped my father live. And, that is when Anna and I decided she would become a therapy dog.
Anna’s claim to fame was her love of people, especially children. She was in every sense a healer. She was the best therapy dog I could have ever asked for. As soon as I put her vest on, she knew exactly how to “work”. Often, Anna would seek out family visitors of the sick children realizing they need her help too. It was beautiful to watch.
Anna worked as a pet therapy dog for ten years. Then she officially retired, having accumulated hundreds of volunteer hours. I guess you could say she had achieved her PhD in therapy work. Because Anna liked loved to be fussed over, we decided for her retirement years she could help children in a reading program called “See Spot Read”. We traveled to some local elementary schools to sit with children individually as they would read to her. She was a seasoned listener having been in my son’s Gabriel’s presence while listening to me read since he was an infant. This new “work” was a match made in heaven.
My joy in life was always enhanced by her joy. Life included beach days with dog body surfing or retrieving her water toy “bongo”. She embraced life to the fullest at all times. At the end of a fun-filled day, her head would bob at night trying to fight off sleep. She didn’t want to miss anything. We would laugh when her head would finally drop and she’d go into a deep slumber.
I could go on with hundreds of other stories, as so many who love their animals can do. What’s most important is to say that Anna and I were entwined spirits that were blessed to have danced together for 13 years. She was a magical healer for me, my family, and for many other people lucky enough to cross her path.
Anna changed my life by showing me how to appreciate and live in the present. It’s tough not to be consumed with too much of the past or wonder about the future. This is a hard lesson for humans but dogs seem to be able to do this naturally. Anna showed me that it’s okay to savor the moment and stop rushing from place to place. Dogs don’t fret about the events they might have missed at the end of the day. Living in the moment is simple for them. I guess you could call it dog mindfulness.
Thank you my dear Anna…You’ll forget the sun in the jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold. You raised me up so I could stand on mountains…which made anything possible.
We now have a new member in our family, Finegan. People ask us with all the pain we went through losing Anna why would we do it all over again…we just say, why not – because the wonderful memories surely outweigh the sorrows.
– Laura Burke, Raleigh, NC