Pets bring a lot of joy to people's lives and can quickly become key members of the family, but because of this, they can also bring a lot of pain and heartache. And today, for my sister-in-law's family, it was one of the latter - a heartache day.
Unfortunately, their little dog of less than ten years, had to be euthanized unexpectedly, after it was found out after a trip to the vet for an upset stomach, that its body was riddled with tumors and it was in a lot of pain. The entire family gathered to say goodbye and I can imagine that it was hard on them all, especially the younger kids who likely barely remember life before and have grown enough now to take care of the dog themselves.
The following pictures are of Sulo, when my wife and I met him for the first time back in the summer of 2013.
My wife has terrible dog fever and would want one for our family, as it has been two years since we lost ours, but I would like to hold off for a couple more years until Smallsteps is a bit older and can take care of it herself - as well as have some time to travel as a family, without having to worry about getting a dogsitter, which can be a challenge. We haven't travelled together for seven years and we have never travelled together out of the country as a family, or even for more than two nights anywhere in Finland.
It doesn't help that the neighbors are getting a puppy next weekend...
Don't tell my wife, but I want a dog too.
So many conflicting wants.
A part of life though, isn't it? Wanting one thing, but not wanting another, but having the first results in the second. A catch-22 - like wanting the joy of owning a dog, but not the desire to clean up after it, or say goodbye when it is time to let it go.
However, life goes on after all things end. And it really is the "better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all" scenario. No matter how hard it is losing a loved one of any kind, the experience of loving has to take precedence. In many ways, this is like an investment scenario, where the potential cost of the investment is offset by the inflated gains.
Love is always worth more than loss.
Corny, eh?
I am corny. I know it.
At least sometimes.
It isn't bad to be sentimental on occasion in my opinion, as long as it isn't the standard operating procedure, where everything is ruled by an emotional attachment. While attachment is the root of suffering, I also think that suffering is one of the core conditions of contentment and acceptance of conditions. It allows us to understand the value of what we have and may lose, rather than being completely disassociated and unconnected.
I think it is the lack of value put on true connection that is one of the driving forces of social problems in the world, where our lives have become consumable and disposable. The detachment protects us from pain, but it also holds us back from feeling real love and, understanding how satisfying loving and being loved can be.
Perhaps for some, this is why pets are such an important part of life, as it is a relationship where they do not expect something from the animal, knowing that it is just an animal. When in a relationship with a human however, we tend to expect them to behave as we want and when they don't, we blame them and want to hurt them for breaking our trust. Even in the relationships between parent and child, there is a lot of room for broken expectations and disappointment, even if the love is still there.
Some people see their pets only as tools, but I think this has too often become how we treat each other too - a means to an end. Perhaps for those who connect with animals, they see the value in the relationship itself. Rather than what they get out of it in terms of a pay off or reward, it is all an input. I can't imagine a person who is cruel to animals, being a good in a relationship with humans. But, perhaps that is a topic for another day.
This week has been busy, but the weekend is here to enjoy.
Love even.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
