Comfort

I got some really kind thoughts and responses with regard to Daisy. Thank you very much. Your kindness meant the world to me and my family. Honestly, I felt kind of silly about being so busted up about my dog, but people really get it. I think perhaps it's a universal feeling for just about anyone who has had and lost a pet. They really are like family.

Ironically, my friend Beth put her dog TAZ down on the very next day. We had often talked about getting our hounds together, but were never able to pull it off. It was one of the things I thought about when Daisy passed. Now I see them playing together, chasing parked cars, turning over trash cans and blaming it on cats.

Here are a couple of things that touched me. The first is a VIDEO that I thought was a little corny at first, but really spoke to me as I watched it. The second is Message from Valhalla, a poem written from the perspective of a dog who's finally made it to the other side.

Message From Valhalla
by Jane S. Morris

You were with me to the very end and even after I had "gone" you held me, and as my soul left my body and I looked down and saw you crying, I wanted so much to tell you that I understood.

You did this for me.

I tried to tell you in my own way that it was time for me to leave, and I thank you for understanding.

No other will take my place, but those I left behind will need your love and affection as I have had.

You still think of me, and there are times you try to hide your tear-filled eyes but please be happy and think not of sadness, but of how I made you happy and made you laugh at the funny and smart things I did.

There are no fences in Valhalla, for no one has the desire to "dig out".

There are no thunderstorms in Valhalla, therefore fear is never present.

There are no fights in Valhalla. Everyone is congenial.

There is no hunger.

There is no thirst.

There is much to explore.

Many of us who are older take care of the little ones and guide them. It's fun watching them run with their ears flopping and their curly tails wagging.

We have four seasons in Valhalla, and most of us agree, winter is our favorite.

So you see, my loved one, I am very happy. When it comes time for my friends to leave, I will meet them at the gates of Valhalla, and I will acquaint them with this beautiful and serene place, and I will take care of them for you.

Thank you for loving me, caring for me, and having the courage to let me go with dignity.