Taj will be gone six months next Friday. Sometimes that last day seems like yesterday; other times it seems like years have gone by. I still can’t think of him without tears and sadness. He was my one and only dog.
Taj was 13 when he could no longer make it up our stairs to go out or come in. His hind legs were almost useless, and then his front legs began to show the strain of pulling his 75 pounds up the steps. For the last year, he had been on every kind of medicine for his condition known to man. He even had acupuncture. For months he did improve somewhat, but finally, just when Spring came, nothing was helping and I resorted to pain medication.
I am so happy that I was able to spend the last year with him, since I had retired just before he got really bad. But I will NEVER forget the devastation of taking him that last day to our vet for his final trip, a trip that I had made and cancelled four times before. I finally realized that I was keeping him here with me simply because
I couldn’t bear the fact of losing him.
I see Taj everywhere I look. For thirteen years we walked together for miles around our home every day. Sometimes when I vacume my dining room, I can smell him as he smelled after a bath, where he used to sleep. I know he’s there in Spirit, as his ashes are here with me.
I will never forget Taj. He was my loving faithful companion for so long and I miss him every minute of my life. I no longer fear death because I know he will be waiting there for me when the time comes.
I love you, Taj, with all my heart,
| Joan Tiger |