Sunday, July 8, 2012

This isn't goodbye

I am truly feeling a little emotional while I enter this blog post.  Some of our clients are moving (or have moved) away and I am surprised by how effected I am.  Now don't get me wrong here - I get emotional after dropping anyone off after a long stay with us.  I get attached and I am not ashamed to say so.  I would rather it be this way to be honest.  It shows me just how much the pets mean to me.  The day I stop getting a little choked up, is the day I stop providing pet care.  That said, I don't see that day coming up any time in the near future.  I love what I do and the emotion is a huge part of it.  There is no passion without some kind of emotion right?

What is ridiculous is that I know I will still be used for boarding and other things that come up along the way that I can provide for.  Still.  I have known some of these dogs for years.  It's like a friend moving away.  Scratch that - it is a friend moving away.  You know you'll see them again, and you're happy they are moving on to a new and exciting adventure, but you're going to miss them like crazy.


Mel & Daisy
Mel is one of the first dogs I knew through Happy Dog years ago when I first walked for Mike.  I have known Mel since he was a young buck and I have loved him since the day I met him.  Mel just wants to be loved like crazy and even if you don't have the time to have your hands all over him, he's nearby loving you as hard as he can until you find the time.  I got to know Daisy when she joined him a few years back and she is such a feisty, fun little girl.  Daisy is super at teamwork and she always knows her job description which usually means she sits super still while you do the work.  She is especially great at helping around the office.  They are a great pair.  The most awesome part of them is how intensely Mel has Daisy's back.  He is the ultimate big brother, and she knows it.  Nothing will ever happen to Daisy so long as Mel is around.  We even refer to him as Super Mel Defender of All Things Innocent.  Daisy got the name Daisy Raises Sunshine and it fits her perfectly.  They were with me five days a week and I will miss them both tremendously until their next stay with us.


Josie
Ah Josie Josie Jose.  Josie is the perfect little girl.  Always so happy and wagging her tail while looking at you with the sweetest expression.  She joined us for playgroup every week and to have her go is heart wrenching.  I have only known Josie for a couple of years now but I feel like I have known her for much much longer.  She's got that personality you immediately click with and feel at ease around no matter the circumstance.  I truly miss watching her sunbathe in the yard or romp about in the yard with the bigger dogs.  Josie might be on the small side, but man can that girl play hard.  I know she's moving on to bigger and better, but there is definitely a huge gap that will be very hard to fill.   


LILY JEAN!
When I got the news that Lily Jean was moving, I immediately thought "oh my god, please make this nightmare end" and seriously had to take a moment to collect myself.  She is another dog I have known for almost a decade.  Lily and I have history people.  I have so many pictures of Lily, in so many different places, it's kind of shocking even to me.  She's practically Happy Dog's mascot.  James lets her ride shotgun with him and that is unheard of.  She is right now pressed up against him and he's not moving away.  They love each other and it's not surprising.  She is the pug that launched a thousand ships, conqueror of the heart, the light that overcomes the darkness by mere existence.  Lily Jean radiates.  In short, she is the ultimate little dog and anyone who meets her immediately knows it.

It's like Josie's mom said, this isn't good bye exactly.  I know I will see them again, but I want you all to know their absence will not go unnoticed and no one can take their place.  Not now, not ever.