To Heal Like a Dog

Almost a Month
Originally uploaded by dcumminsusa

It's been almost two months since my grandmother died (see my previous blog post). I miss her.

I have had a few break downs, but for the most part I'm doing really well. I wish I could say the same for other members of the family.

Death tends to bring out the best and the worst in some people. There is a lot of anger and hate regarding things that happened in the past. Nothing can be done to change them, they are in the past and we are living in the present.

I have simply slipped back into my daily routines as they were before; ny daily routines did not include talking to my grandmother or those closest to her. I will probably feel her void next around the holidays as those were when I would usually be with her. Will enough time have passed that it won't be a big deal? We will see.

I wish my loved ones could heal as quickly as Darby. We adopted him a few days after my Grandmother died. He had a hard life the first few weeks he was alive.

He was found abandoned on the side of the road at two weeks of age; two of his litter mates were already dead. His paws were burned from the hot asphalt of the parking lot where he was left. His eyes were just beginning to open. Once he was in the shelter he had protect his food and eat it as quickly as possible because he was so small and young.

When we brought him home he was eight weeks old and showed some extreme food aggression. In fact he actually bit me and drew blood. Through hand feeding and giving him positive experiences with food he no longer has any food issues (unless you count barking at the food bowl just before he starts eating). We free feed him just like the rest of our dogs, and he will eat right along side his adoptive brothers and sister; even sharing the bowl.

In a little more than a month he no longer feels the pains of his past. He lives in the now and the now is good.

He is happy.

He doesn't occasionally have 'bad food days.' Those are gone. They are less than a distant memory to him.

When people say that our dogs have it easy I think there is more truth to that statement then they realize.