01/31/2022
I used to think dog people were the weirdest.
They treated their dogs like humans, they scheduled their life around their dog, they talked to their dog like it could talk back... weird.
I remember a friend of mine growing up missing school for quite some time after his dog died, because he was grieving so much.
Even as a therapist, I’ve had people tell me one of the most painful times of their life was losing their dog.
I didn’t get it.
Until I met Winnie.
Until I brought her home.
Until she became my family.
We fell in love instantly. She was instantly attached to my hip.
I was like, “oh, you are kind of amazing”.
My dog has always been there. Literally, she follows me everywhere I go. She’s sat with me when I’ve cried. She’s been there through all my babies being born. She sleeps by me at night. She‘s my errand-running buddy.
She has greeted me every single time I’ve walked through my front door, as if I hadn’t seen her in years.
It’s funny how quickly she came and took a chunk of my heart.
I can’t even think about not having her in my life without bawling my eyes out (it’s happening now as I type this).
When I think about dogs… I can’t help but think about God.
I look at my pup and I feel like her whole existence is just a smile from God.
I feel like even though she is a dog, God made her personally for me.
Even though she is a dog, He knew I’d be her human.
God wanted us to get to experience licks on the face and silly games of fetch. He wanted us to get to see a tiny little glimmer of what His unconditional love looks like.
So God made dogs.. for us.
To bring joy and laughter.
To get us outside.
To help us not feel so alone.
Even the animals He creates have a purpose..
I believe dogs were made for us to love.
And even more so, for us to be loved.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog