Saying a last goodbye to an old friend is tough. Words provide an awkward riff on a wounded heart. So, I’ll just ponder the delightful times we had. Shizuka was a little white dog, a mutt both quiet and demanding, timid and bold. She and I did things together—quite the variety of adventures. Here you’ll find a link to her acting job, playing the part of “fearful dog” in one episode of Fundación Affinity’s program “Mas Que Perros y Gatos”. Or look at a story about her that appeared in Dog Heart Magazine issue number 2. It highlights her astounding ability to wander off—thus accidentally or willfully separating herself from her people—and head home again safely. Except nine months ago when deaf, cloudy-eyed and with signs of dementia, her wandering got the better of her. By chance, kind people read her dog tag and called us to pick her up at a farmhouse quite a distance over the mountain.
So many stories. But I hold them close. At the very end she stopped wagging her tail and looked up at me as if to ask, “Hey, what am I doing here?” So, I gave her the succor she needed, and a gentle veterinarian helped me do it. Farewell Shizuka. Gone, but not forgotten.
