Dog, In Memoriam

Fair warning: This post, and myself, can be very emotional.

Yes, she was just a dog. But she was so much more than that. She was my Princess Gracie Kate Perkins.
She was known as friend and mother.

I grew up with many dogs, but this was my dog.

When we suffer a loss, the most common thing to say is, "It's not fair." And, you know what? It's not. It's just not fair. She wasn't young, but she really wasn't old either. She might have been an animal, and a stubborn one at that, but she was the shining example that betrayed my skeptic mind, for I believe that she had a beautiful soul.

On Saturday, I came home. I came home exhausted from finals, from separation, from moving, from emotions, from life, from loss. When my parents broke the news of her sudden expiration, I thought that I was already on empty, and could feel no more hurt. But I was wrong. I loved this dog with such passion, that I took mere minutes before I broke down crying, in one of my rare moments of real tears.
These tears, already fed by so much emotion were full of rage and confusion, but mostly just of deep sorrow, and that nagging feeling that there was no justice in what had transpired.

This is all true, but life will go on. Though I typically find spending time worrying about animals to be a waste of time, this dog isn't typical. This was my dog, and I loved her. It is time to celebrate her life. She was a faithful companion, and my most constant form of comfort and understanding. I feel as though I need her here, just to handle her own passing. She will be sorely missed, but I will always have her in my memory. I have so many good memories of her, just like any other member of my family. There she will remain in my memory: as a member of my family.

Gracie will be sorely missed. To the best of my knowledge, she is survived by all but two of her litter of 11. One of which, is my other dog Ruger. It may be a harder time for him than anyone else, but he will learn to adjust with us, and though our family is one member smaller, we will all become stronger.

Thanks you for the last decade, Gracie. This is for you, in memoriam. I hope to God that I may see you in heaven. I love you.

With this, may I move towards peace.