Maybe it is a bit more than a coincidence that “dog” is “God” spelled backwards in our language. What other being living among us can teach us more about the full meaning of “unconditional love” than a loyal dog?
If you’ve ever been blessed enough in this world to have been loved by a dog, then you understand. Completely.
If you have not in this life yet been so blessed, my friends, then you cannot possibly fully understand. And you are to be fully forgiven for that.
If you are not a fellow dog lover (I am reserving a column for my fellow cat lovers at another time), you can also be forgiven for now moving on from any further reading of my words here. In doing so, however, you will have missed out on reading about one of the greatest life lessons - and love stories - you may ever know.
Bella Dog (yes, that’s what we called her) came into our lives some 7-8 years ago. My son “rescued” her as a pup. (I am convinced that such “rescue” dogs also eventually “rescue” us with their love - and return it to us unconditionally - a hundredfold.)
Bella Dog was half pit bull and half greyhound, a beautifully put-together species, both swift and strong. Before my son rescued her, Bella Dog had suffered severely traumatic physical and mental injuries as a very young pup - having previously had her skull bashed in by someone you might (or might not) call human. Over time Bella Dog continued to develop other health and anxiety issues, so my son and his dear wife eventually gave her to me a few months ago - knowing I had much more time to care specifically for her.
Bella Dog always had my heart. And I evidently always had hers. She would howl sadly every single time I left the house without her. And she would squirm and squeal with what I can only call uncontrollable fits of joy upon any sight or sound of my return.
We hiked together somewhere every single day. We never (as in never) missed a day. Some days I took her twice, she loved it so much.
In a word, Bella Dog and I became inseparable. In fact, during our last ride to take our daily hike together, I looked and at her and said, “Bella Dog, I’ve been hopin’ a gal would someday come along that would love everything about me just as I am. As I would her. And it finally happened.”
Little did I know that this past Sunday was to be Bella Dog’s last day on Earth. The last two pictures I ever took of her are shown above; Bella Dog loving on my dear granddaughter, Lenna Kate.
Early this past Sunday morning I took Bella Dog hiking up behind Avoca Elementary School in Bristol. This dog always minded me extremely well - perhaps better than any dog I ever knew (the only exception was when she saw a rabbit or geese). So up along the edge of the woods behind the ballfields near Avoca, I unleashed her to let her run along free with me a bit.
No sooner had I done so then I saw what grazed quietly in the open grassy field below us.
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