Sunday, December 16, 2018

Talk to Me, Goose

Goose stole our hearts the moment we met her.
It's with a still heavy heart that I write this, but I have to try and put into words the emotions from this past week.

Our beloved dog Goose died this week.

Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that Goose joined our family and brightened our lives with her crazy hound dog antics.  At other times it feels like she had been with us for years and not just the short 15 months that she was ours.

We all cried when we found out on Wednesday that someone had found our dog's body by the railroad tracks.  I took some comfort in knowing that her death was quick and that she did not suffer.

That's a wiggly pillow...
Needless to say, this has been difficult for all of us.  We loved Goose with everything we had, she was an integral part of our family.  We don't know her exact circumstances before she joined our family, but given some of her behaviors, I am confident that she did not get the same level of love and affection that she enjoyed in our home.

Mali said it best about Goose when she told me, "Goose wasn't a perfect dog, but she was the perfect dog for our family."  It's so true, and that's why losing her hit us so hard.  We had expected to have another 10 years or more, and to have her suddenly gone hurts.  It's doubly hard for me because I am on the other side of the world and unable to hug my family and cry with them.

There is a part of me that feels like maybe I'm being overly dramatic, especially when I consider people I know who have lost a family member, like a parent or a child.  This is the first time I have experienced such a sudden loss, and it is difficult.  As I have had time these past few days to think and ponder the meaning of our mortal experiences, however, I have been grateful for the blessing of knowing maybe a little better the pain that others feel when something like this happens.  Hopefully this will make me more sympathetic and more caring when others are grieving.

She always had my six.
So we say good-bye to our Goose, and she will forever be a part of our family.  She brought us so much happiness and I am eternally thankful she was ours.  And I am grateful for my family and their willingness to open their loving hearts to Goose.

So one last time: talk to me, Goose.  We love you.

Of course Goose isn't looking at the camera, there was a squirrel...