I don’t think I was prepared for how much it would hurt when our dog Watson passed away in March. He died on the anniversary of my Dad’s death so it felt like a double whammy! It was during spring break so the kids were home and everyone was around me. I wasn’t truly alone in the house until they all went back to school and work the following week. It was hard. I missed him so much. As with any death, I went in and out of sadness. Some days would be better than others, and with time, it would just be fleeting moments of missing him.
I had months to grieve and his absence became less painful. Then we had our annual neighborhood parade for the 4th of July. Everyone decked out their kid’s bikes, scooters and of course, their dogs. I was hit hard with the grief all over again. My neighbor came up and reminded me that this was the first 4th without Watson in 12 years! I started to tear up. Every dog looked sweet and cute, but none o them were my Watson. I trudged through the day feeling melancholy and feeling like there was something missing. It wasn’t a something. It was someone! I felt incomplete.
We moved into our house in May of 2002 and got him in June. I wanted a girl dog that wasn’t too big and didn’t shed. We found someone on Pet Finder with a Bassett Hound we liked, but when the guy met us and he knew we would have children eventually, he told us that dog wasn’t for us. He had been abused by kids and wouldn’t be good for us. A week later he called us. He had a dog for us. He was nothing of what we wanted, but everything we needed. He was a boy dog who would get to be about 60 pounds and he shed A LOT!!! But he was mellow and wonderfully white with a purple tongue and he was ours! How could we say no??
He was our first kid and we learned a lot about responsibility with him. He was amazing when our girls were born and was a fabulous big brother! I know that I will never have another dog like Watson, but I know I will always remember him too! A friend sent us the wind chimes pictured to the right shortly after he passed. We attached his dog tags and now I can hear them chime. It’s like Watson is with us. It gives me a sense of peace. I know we loved him and gave him the best home he could possibly have. Hoping he is at peace and enjoying all the peanut butter treats he can eat!!
Sarah
Sarah is a native Los Angeleno with the heart of a Chicagoan. She loves A Cappella music, cooking, and swing dancing. When she’s not helping raise money for schools, sports teams and clubs, she is hanging out with and loving life with her husband and girls. For more information about what she does professionally, check out www.amomsguidetoschoolfundraising.com