Everything I need to know I learned from my perro

So first of all, I would like to thank people for extending their sadness over the loss of Samson. I know he wasn't the most popular dog in the neighborhood, but he meant a lot to me and my family and he it means a lot that people can understand that.

I understand that there are five stages of grief. In fact, the OC this season apparently did a funny episode about these stages as one character mourned the death of her bff. Well, I can definitely say that I saw myself moving through three of these stages.
1) Denial: Denial is more than a river in Egypt as they like to say. I cannot count for you the number of times that I have returned home and expected to see my furry greeter awaiting me on the top of the steps or how many times i've taken an absurdly large leap out of my bed to avoid my furry roommate sleeping beside my bed.
2) Anger: Boy was I angry. I was angry at our local vet for not catching the heart defect. I was angry that she led me to believe that he would be okay and was suzy sunshine instead of adequately preparing me for the more distressing possibility that an 11 year old dog in respiratory distress was probably not a good thing. anyone that encountered me on the road can probably attest to my anger level which was hovering at a code blood red for a few days.
3)Acceptance: I have accepted that I shall not see Samson for a long time. I have accepted that he is now frolicking in doggie heaven with Shayna and Muffin and I'm curious which one of them has established themselves as alpha dog. I have also accepted that he will always be watching over me and shall continue our pact to keep me safe.

So in moving forward with my sadness I have chosen to remember the things that Samson taught me. You may remember that I once wrote of the unconditional love of a puppy. That was the first gift from Samson. You can never love too much or too hard. Second, anything that can come out of the digestive tract can go in it without worry. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Says who? Samson had good taste and would grab Godiva chocolates whenever he could. No ill effects. He also ate a brillo pad with no effect except a very interesting shade of elimination for a few days. Thirdly, if you have gas don't sweat it. Let it out discreetly and then be the first to accuse someone else of having done it and walk out of the room in disgust. Fourth, it is perfectly reasonable to be picky about your associates. Furthermore, it is perfectly okay to not associate yourself with everyone and anyone. It is better to have a few close friends that you truly like than be "nice" to everyone and their mother and not like any of them :) Fifth, it is okay to ask for and take help when you need it. In his golden age, samson realized that he was not the young pup he used to be. He was willing, despite his better judgment, to take help from me in helping him up the stairs or tending to his wounds or even take care of his smelly accidents that required some baby wipes. It is not a sign of weakness to need help. This is one of the most crucial lessons he taught me. Lastly, the world can be your toilet as long as you take care to be discreet about it.

I went to Buddy Dog to visit my friend Titus and was instead taken aback. I was petting my buddy when I heard footsteps behind me. I had not seen a dog in the run across from Titus. I slowly turned my head and there was a Black German Shepherd staring back at me. A friendly reminder from my baby that he was still watching me.

So while my inner and outer wounds are not healed completely, I am on my way and thats all you can ask for.


PS: My brackets are complete crap this year. Thanks a lot DJ Strawberry.