Love

A year ago, I had three dogs. Shiner, Gunner and Brandy. Shiner is gone now. She's been gone for over eight months now, that's hard to believe. Gunner is still around, grumpy as ever. He's become even more attached to my mom if that's even possible. It's time for the holidays again, and I feel that he misses Shiner more now then ever. After all, it was her he spent his first Thanksgiving and Christmas with. It was her. They were friends, partners, pals before Brandy or Baker even came on the scene. If it's possible for a dog to grieve, to remember, to be depressed, I think Gunner is all those things right now.

Brandy is still trying to squeeze herself into the places she went as a puppy. She's digging holes in the yard and getting yelled at for tracking dirt into the house. She's still playful and fun. She's protective of Baker when Gunner gets mad at him. She's his mother in a way. She loves him as much as I do. Brandy and Baker are pals like Gunner and Shiner used to be.

Now, we have a puppy named Baker who keeps us so busy and crazy that it's hard to believe that so much time has past. He makes my heart whole again, after the loss of such an important part of my childhood, my past. I look at him and I immediately get this sense of comfort and love. My heart swells and it's hard to breathe for a second. I love this dog so much because he's helped me through the loss of another. He's helped me smile again. He's helped me deal with that pain. He's helped me remember the happy moments instead of thinking of those when she was so sick. He helps me remember her. He helps me.