03/05/2024
The Broken Heart Dog
Most of us know what a heart dog is: that special dog that we connect with on a deeper level. The dog that we know and that knows us forwards and backwards. Our four legged other half and in some ways, one of the great loves of our lives. These dogs are talked about often, placed on a pedestal against which future dogs are judged and revered by their owners for the lifetime of the human lucky enough to have spent their time with them. Some people are lucky to find that one heart dog. Some are blessed enough to have two or even several in a lifetime. Some people will describe them differently. Referring to a heart dog, a soul dog, a spirit dog, etc. All are just as important as the first and all can change the life of the person fortunate enough to have found them. Praise and honor is given to these dogs on a daily basis and today will be no different for many, but today I want to take a few minutes to talk about a different type of heart dog. The broken heart dog.
These are the dogs that follow our heart dogs. Maybe they survive them in this life or maybe they find us after we have suffered that profound loss of that “once in a lifetime” dog. It doesn’t matter how they arrive in our lives or why, it just matters that they do. They are there. They are there at our worst and they stay at our sides until we find that new version of ourselves. They help us discover our new normal and they never ask to take over the place of the dog before them. When we are broken, they are the guardians of the pieces. When we are whole again they are elated to be there and experience that with us too. As we move on in the world and we no longer need them to plug the leaks and fill the cracks, they are honored to still be by our sides as we grow and face new challenges. These dogs are irreplaceable in their own right and equally deserving of recognition and celebration.
I’m sure you can think of who this dog (or dogs) are in your life. Some of them may have grown to become heart dogs in their own right. Others may have quietly done their job of support and regrowth, quietly and with dedication that allowed us to change and grow without seeming to realize it. It’s hard not to be reminded of your past, of your history and what you lost with the passing of time. Our history is what formed us and shaped us into who we are now, heart dogs and broken heart dogs included. Our history will repeat itself because such is the nature of the beast. I think what we need to remember, with these broken heart dogs, is that sometimes the most important history, is the history that we are making today. Because of these dogs we find ourselves ready to take those steps and make that history. Their accomplishment in that moment and in that victory is not to be overlooked. They remind us who we are and why we love the things that we did with those heart dogs.
So here’s to the dogs that clean up the messes that this life makes of us. The dogs that may not be the best looking, the most talented or the ones that catch everyone's eye. These dogs are the therapists, the mechanics and the keepers of the soul. Their value known only to the one person fortunate enough to have found them through chance or sheer desperation. Maybe they are great dogs, known to the masses and legends in their own right. Maybe they are a little tall, a little too shaggy, a little too leggy or they have a crooked ear. It doesn't matter. This is the perfect work that can be done by dogs both imperfect and otherwise. The mending of a broken heart that requires the love of a heart so pure that it can repair, rebuild and cleanse the scraps that it finds itself responsible for. I see you and the work you do. We all do. This is your day to shine for the beautiful work you do, even if you do your job in the shadows. Today is your day for the pedestal.
Written by Jen Rainey, CPhT
