By Marley A. Mutt
I remember it like it was yesterday. When our eyes first met from across the kennel at the animal shelter. The world got suddenly very small and focused, my stomach dropped, my ears perked up and I knew I would never be the same, I was in love. They called it puppy love. Because we were puppies.
Sure, we were young, the odds were never in our favor. Just two little abandoned pups hoping to make their way in the world. Separated by a concrete hallway, stainless steel fencing and a system stacked against us. But, we didn’t let that stop us. We believed in love, we believed we would make it.
Her name was Sasha, a German Shepherd mix with dark brown eyes and a fierce spirit. We would wait until all the other dogs had gone to sleep at the shelter and we would stick our noses and paws as close together as we could. We would talk, dream and promise things to each other we both knew were probably impossible. We would insist on being adopted together. We would enjoy a loving family, share our toys and curl up next to each other on the couch to nap every afternoon before our humans returned from work. We would take long walks on the beach, chase squirrels in the park and feel the green grass under our paws. We were happy, we were patient, we believed.
However, sweet as our dreams were, they never were meant to be. You see, Sasha was destined for more. She was adopted before me. I remember the day. A family with two kids came into the shelter. They immediately ran to Sasha. They visited with her, they filled out paperwork, and before I knew it, they were walking her past my kennel. Sasha and I never said good bye. I couldn’t. I knew she would be happy. This was her dream come true. A loving family to play with, to protect and serve. This was her purpose, her happiness, her greatest love, her best chance. I couldn’t stand in the way or make her feel bad. I told her I loved her and was happy for her. I told her I would never stop looking for her and hoped to one day see her again. And then she was gone.
I was pretty sad for a while. She was my best friend. Eventually, I found my forever home too. Years have passed. Sometimes I still think about her. I hope she’s happy. I wonder if she thinks about me too. But, mostly I am just so grateful to have known how it felt to share so much with another. These chances to give of ourselves, to love unconditionally, truly, madly, deeply, these aren’t chances that happen every day. We should all take those chances when we can, treasure the time we have, and celebrate the love in our lives every day, not just once a year on Valentine’s Day.
I know this Valentine’s Day I’m going to be extra good and show my people just how much I love them. I’ll think of Sasha, and will probably still scan the dog park for her when we go, just in case. But, most of all, I wish everyone a life full of love every day.