I watched a touching video today where a family shared their memories of their two cocker spaniels. I felt moved by being able to share in these moments, but also saddened because it made me think about my own dogs and the heart break I still feel over the loss of Churchill my French Bulldog who left us last summer after 12 wonderful years. Inspired by the video I saw and swimming in my own memories, I decided to create my own tribute to honour Churchill and the love that he and Mackenzie (my Pug) shared.

This video shares with you some special moments I was fortunate to have had with my boys. It will never be the same without Churchill, but I feel comfort in knowing that his memories will carry on and I am able to share some of them with you in this video.

Thanks for watching.

Mackenzie is the kind of Pug that takes time to smell the roses, someone who appreciates the early signs of spring, a ray of sun or the dewy grass. You can’t rush Mackenzie and you’ll often find him staring off into the sunset wondering how life made him the man he is today.

Trouble seeing the video? Click here

How does he do it? Living with Mackenzie our 13 year old pug is a lesson of contentment. I don’t know if it is something that happens when you reach the twilight years of your life but ‘Big Mac’ as I refer to him seems to take pleasure in everything he does, be it eating, sleeping, walking, and what I believe is his favourite…pooping. Don’t get me wrong, I think it can be argued that most dogs regardless of age seem to have fun in doing all of these things. However, I firmly believe that as Mackenzie has gotten older he has come to really savour every moment of each of these activities. He is a breed that naturally has character but when you watch him eat he takes time outs after each bite to lick his chops for half a minute and then continue. When you watch him sleep, he has waking moments where it seems as though he is reflecting on the best times of his life. He really does make living look, not just easy, but truly tasteful. Like every minute is another serving of his favourite meal. I love it and am thankful I get to enjoy it every day. It is a great reminder of how enjoyable life is when we slow it down to a manageable pace.

I was at my vet’s last night picking up some refills for the various medications Mackenzie my 12 year old pug is currently taking. While I was there an emergency case came in. It was an 8 year old Golden Retriever. I don’t know exactly what was wrong with him, but one look at the faces of his family told the whole story. There were three family members, a father, mother and daughter all with tears in their eyes.

In speaking with the Practice Manager I learned that they were forced to put the dog down and while I was waiting (for good reason) I witnessed the whole ordeal, from the father explaining this to the rest of his family, to seeing them standing beside the dog at the back of the clinic, to observing them sitting with their dog after he had passed away. I have to tell you I almost broke down crying. My heart went out to them and I wished I could take away the pain I know they were feeling.

I was so close to tears and I immediately starting having flashbacks to losing my precious Churchie, my French Bulldog, my protector and a huge part of my life for over 12 years until this past summer when I lost him due to complications from a heart tumor. I still cry all the time and wonder if I will ever not feel like a piece of my heart has been lost forever. When I saw this happening to another family it hit me hard as I relived the shock, trauma and ache of losing someone I loved. Our dogs really are a major part of our family and bring us so much love and happiness how can we not be broken after they leave us?

The reason I wanted to write this post today was not to depress you or to relive a very sad part of my life, but instead to commend the efforts of my vet. Dr. Maks at Huff’s Animal Hospital in Tsawwassen, British Columbia and the girls that keep the clinic running, pour their own hearts into each and every pet they treat. I have never had such a positive relationship before with any other caretakers, human or dog, like I have had with Dr. Maks and her team. When I was going through the roller coaster ride of care for Churchill and as I continue to have Mackenzie and our newest addition Paige (a brindle Frenchie) looked after, they have had our best interests at the top of their list.

Seeing them last night trying to save this dog and take care of the family showed just how much they care as they were so emotionally impacted by what was happening, it was as if they were treating their own dog.

Witnessing this type of care and while extremely sad, seeing the family’s love for their dog just shows again the powerful impact our dogs have on our lives. While losing one of our loved ones is like losing a piece of ourselves, I wouldn’t trade the time I spent with any of my pets for anything in the entire world. Each one has left me with the most amazing memories and they will be forever in my heart.

I miss you Churchie.

If anyone has the strength to share stories of their amazing pets that have touched their lives either past or present, please leave a comment.

Thanks for listening.

Ann-Marie Fleming is the Founder of www.DogQuality.com, a site focused on products that help older dogs enjoy life.