Stress is a part of any modern life. As a Realtor, husband, dad to four daughters, instructor, etc... life stays interesting to say the least. Since 2004, that handsome greyhound has been my greatest source of stress relief.
Deal gone south? Rocket was ready for a long walk. One of the kids start a ruckus at school? Better make that walk a double. Over the years the whole family bonded with Rocket. On occasion the girls would even dress him up. That poor fella spend the better part of one afternoon dressed as a unicorn!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Returning home this weekend, we heard two pronounced whimpers from his crate. Rocket had suffered a massive heart attack. He died within minutes of us returning home.
Like it often occurs, his death gave little warning. In fact two days before he had escaped and we had to chase him down the road. For a 13 year old dog, he could move! He spent his last afternoon lounging in the backyard soaking up the October sun.
As a lifetime dog owner, I have lost many good dogs before. For some reason, this is the only one that caused me to cry. After burying family members, I felt a little guilty shedding tears over a dog. Even one as special as "Rocket dog".
Then it hit me. Adult life is tough. As children we have folks around us who make the difficult decisions. For better or worse we take our marching orders from others. There is both peace and security from this arrangement.
Since 2004 I have had to make plenty of tough choices on both a professional and personal level. And for every tough call, there was Rocket at the other end of the leash. And now he is gone...
During my morning run I follow the same path that Rocket and I use to travel. Every tree and hill seem to hold a Rocket story. And as I looked up there was one final morning star in the sky. Something tells me Rocket had made it all the way to the Heavens. Godspeed my friend. Till we meet again!
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