We said goodbye to our loving companion Howard this weekend, our devoted greyhound. He has been a part of our family for almost as long as Jay and I have been a family. We met him eight years ago after his racing days were over and I still remember falling in love with him that afternoon. We were so excited that we just stared at him for hours after bringing him home.
Howard settled into retirement easily. His world was now full of soft beds, gentle pets and long walks. We went on hikes through the gorge and walks up Mount Tabor. He was also more than content just snoozing all day, occasionally waking up to see that you were still there with him.
The logical part of my brain tells me how lucky we are – he had a full life, lived to a ripe old age, and the end came quickly for him. We were there when he took his last breaths as he slipped quietly off into eternal sleep.
But my heart is breaking too much to actually process anything logical right now. I miss my companion terribly. Jay has never seen me sob so much or so hard, but it’s some small tribute to just how cherished he was as a part of our family. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten.
You are in my thoughts today, as you grieve the loss of your precious Howard. Our dogs are such a part of the family and it is heart breaking when we lose them. So thankful you were blessed with him for many years. I cannot even imagine our Toasted Coconut “Coco” not being with us… “Hugs” from this dog lover to you!
How wonderful that you have photos to remember happy times with your beloved Howard. I’m sorry for your loss 🙁
So sorry to hear about your loss. Retired racers with their eyebrows, smiles and charm make the most wonderful pets!
Zonked out on his bed and enjoying the sunshine, it looks like he was a very happy fellow!
We give them a piece of our heart when we get them and they take it when they go but leave us with a treasure trove of memories. We had to let our 15 year old cat go a year ago to let her leave in dignity and peace. We took a few months to process her leaving and now two fuzz buckets have stolen parts of our hearts. Peace be with you and yours.
Thank you everyone for your kind, thoughtful words! You guys have all given me some needed comfort during this hard time.
Sigh, I know this loss all too well and my heart goes out to you. As you said on my own blog, they teach us what unconditional love and devotion is and inspire us to be better humans so we may deserve them. Thank you for those words: you are so right. I hope my fluffy little maltipoo Wink and your tall sleek Howard meet where they are: they both loved gardens and spending time with us there, didn’t they?