How's it going?

It’s going. Grief is tough, it can sneak up on you in the smallest of moments. Sometimes a memory can create a flood of tears. But grief is important. You have to grieve to get through it. I miss her like crazy. I miss the help she has needed through the years. It’s what we do as guardians of our canines, we care for them. Sometimes that means more care when life isn’t always fair. She was dealt a lot of stuff over the years but never once was she defeated.

Riggs is going through it as well. It’s now been 2 weeks but I think he still thinks she might come through the door. He’s lost his guiding light and I can see it. We are trying to keep him busy; but, he also has to go through it. The only way to the other side is to go through.

Grief is something you can put on hold sometimes; but it has to come at some point to get through it. Grief comes from the loss of love. How much love will factor in the amount of grief. As our dog’s age, we all know that it will come. But even when they pass as seniors, it is a massive loss.

Riggs has stopped searching for her fresh scent outside. That was tough to watch, knowing that he was not going to find it. Everything is different, our lives are forever changed and we have to adapt. It will take him time to get his rhythm back. Even longer to get through the grief. Like so many other k9s who lose their k9 companion, he is mourning her loss. He is such an emotional guy; every emotion he has is really big. This loss is not only his first, but monumental for him.

He loves to use his brain so I am reminding him about our fun brain games. He enjoyed yesterday’s game and I will try to play one everyday with him. He has been getting lots of new toys, which he loves. He has also been going for really big walks every morning with my husband and gardening with Mom in the day. It is hard to watch him when he’s mourning her loss. But like us, he has to go through it.

When we lost our Luke in January 2015, Elsa knew immediately that he was gone. She looked for him one day, and not again. She was sad, but she was also bravely stoic dealing with her loss. Each dog is an individual and how they deal with a loss will be different for every one of them. Riggs is having a hard time.

Time and distance helps with loss but grieving must be done. It never gets easier if you don’t grieve such a huge loss. We will get through it, we will do it together. He’ll be okay and so will we.

Anyone who has loved and lost a dog understands the emptiness and sadness. It is never easy.