Fly High, Precious Boy…
Just after New Year’s, I got a call from Pam, asking about Pooch portraits. I started telling her about my services only to quickly realize that it would, in fact, be a Rainbow Bridge session she was asking for, for her furry baby, Yoda.
Sweet Yoda.
As Pam described what she needed, my heart broke a little - or rather cracked open again. Yoda was suffering from terminal Lymphoma, just as my Buster did almost 2 years ago now. I know exactly the heartache that she was suffering and how her best bud was running out of time. She described how he’s been slower and his spark wasn’t there anymore, and how as much as it was breaking her heart, she didn’t want him to have to suffer.
An all too familiar story. Most times when we get a pet, we know that sadly, we will outlive them. They’re here to be part of our lives for a precious few years and all pet owners understand, it’s always the worst day of your life. Each time may be slightly different, but it’s always the worst. You think back, “What if I had walked them further every day? Or played fetch more? What if I’d given them fewer treats or not let them lick the plate?” You spend hours playing back any little mistake, wishing that any little thing you could take back if only to make their life that much healthier so they could stay longer.
And yet… One thing helps to keep you together. They loved you.
In spite of everything, they loved you.
You were their rock. Hair matted and messy, lounging clothes, big and frumpy, if you hadn’t bathed in 3 days, or maybe you hadn’t even spoken to another human being in a week… you were their rock, and they were yours. They enrich our lives in such indescribable ways.
I’m sure Pam’s house feels cavernous and far too quiet now. It’s jarring for the owner. There’s no claws clicking on the floor as they wander around the house, there’s no jingling collar as they are running to come greet you when you arrive and less dog hair to have to lint roll from your clothing. But on some level, you know, deep down, you did the best you could. And they loved you for it. And they loved you for keeping them and caring for them. Putting a roof over their head and food in the dish. And just being there. You were their rock, and you were with them to the end. It is, in my opinion, the most heroic act anyone could ever do for a loved one. And they know it.
Rainbow bridge sessions are always heartbreaking. But I am glad that I was able to provide this for Pam, and others. And this is why I do photos, especially when it comes to pets - you know that someday it will be the only thing you have left. A pet is just as much a member of your family and a loved one worthy of being captured in photographs, just as much as any two-legged member of your family. It was a tearful session, looking at the images on the screen afterward, before the last car ride, but I’m grateful to have met Yoda and to have provided this service to Pam. She now has beautiful images to cherish and help to hold Yoda in her heart and knows he will always be with her.