When we make a commitment to caring for a dog, we know in our hearts there will come a day when the inevitable goodbye becomes a painful reality. What was once a sad prospect for another year, perhaps even another decade, is now upon your doorstep.
Grieving the loss of a beloved pet is a tough time, a period of raw emotion and adjustment. When a pet dies, the void they leave in your home and life… the silence they leave… is deafening.
But grief, as with any big emotion, can transform things, and people. Their hearts, and their lives too. This was the case for one man. Having recently lost a special little buddy, he decided to honor his dearly departed by offering a fresh start to the “least adoptable” of the bunch at one local shelter. And then it kind of snowballed from there. (1)
Grab yourself some Kleenex, and let’s meet Colorado’s own Steve Grieg.
Senior Dogs Need Love Too
Steve has always been a dog guy, usually with 3-4 of them running around at any given time. And as a “dog guy”, each of his furbabies have had a unique effect on him. But when Wolfgang passed, it left him with a different kind of sadness. Steve sensed that this dog’s trip across the rainbow bridge was significant, the start of a new era for him. Soon, it was time to bring a new dog into the home, and that’s how 12-year-old Eeyore came into the picture. A Chihuahua with bad knees and a heart murmur, he was hands-down the least likely to be adopted from that shelter, and Steve knew he’d found a new someone to love.
He didn’t know it yet, but there would soon be many more someones for him to love.
E-I-E-I-O
These days, it’s a veritable farmland at Mr. Greig’s Denver home. Currently, he shares it with nearly two dozen animals of all varieties. Included in this Marvelous Menagerie of Mayhem are eight senior dogs, two Calico kitties, a couple of ducks, a miniature pot-bellied pig called Bikini, a bunny rabbit who doesn’t like to share the bed with Bikini, and of course some chickens. Let the craziness ensue!
Joking aside, this is important work he’s doing! It’s feel-good work too. The perfect way to honor the passing of his friend Wolfgang was to invite more love into that void he left when he passed. To our pets, we are the world. And to us, they are a gift. A chance to just be in the presence of unconditional love.
The bond between you and your pet is a special one. They know it, and you know it. After that sweet baby passes on, it’s right and good to eventually create a new bond… to make someone else feel as loved as your dearly departed always felt.
As Mr. Greig put it in an interview once: “Knowing that you saved an animal from possible death has an incredible impact on both of you.” (1)
