22/09/2021
Hey friends,
This post is incredibly hard to make, and I'll try to make it concise despite wanting to share a million memories.
On Sunday my husband and I lost Celes to cancer. I've had her since she was a puppy for the next almost 12 years. You may recognize her from my logo.
Celes was an incredible dog. She was with me through so many moments and changes in life, and came to me when information about dog training resources were scarce, confusing, and sometimes downright abusive. Socialization wasn't marketed as a priority and those claiming "fear-free training" wasn't very honest, either.
We learned a lot through trials and tribulation and given all that, she was my best friend and an even better dog. You truly could not have asked for a more perfect companion, even if she resource guarded. You could say it was part of her charm. She loved her food and treats and was so incredibly patient and tolerant of my shenanigans during the holidays and wanting random decor on her head.
Because of Celes, I learned the importance of understanding what it means to have that "first friend". It's that dog you have as you enter adulthood and go through those crazy changes, and she's your friend you have in those amazing and those harder times. As I fostered for rescues, she also became the "first friend" for Rochester's homeless dogs. She helped those dogs in need have a good experience with living amongst a canine companion.
She eventually met Max, my husband and my #1 employee (lol). Celes and Max immediately fell in love and we became a family. The three of us became a solid group who continued success in fostering as I grew my skills and education in dog training.
Celes would be our co-ring bearer at our wedding, but not before swimming in a nearby pond and taking a nap on my wedding dress. Of course she was welcomed to take that nap undisturbed because I was always as smitten and attached to Celes as she was to me. I always had this little four-legged shadow and she was perfect in every way. Everything I did, she was there.
So, this brings me to now. To the biggest, most unfortunate truth that our fur babies are only here for so long until we have to partr ways. With that in mind, we owe it to them to give our fur family the BEST experience here on earth. Celes always deserved all the treats, all the cuddles, all the happy talk you could muster. She deserved the best experiences anywhere she went. This is why I choose to be pain and fear free, because Celes deserves only the best in the short time she existed to wag her tail.
My heart is broken and I miss my baby girl in every single way you could imagine, but my soul is happy knowing we gave her everything we had to ensure the best 12 years.
Moral of my story - please PLEASE give your fur babies force and fear-free practices. Use a trainer (perhaps myself) who also utilizes these practices, don't take a single day for granted, and give them the good treats. They're canines existing in a human world. Give them and yourselves some grace and patience as you learn to communicate with one another. Give plenty of kisses and scratchies and when things seem tough, look at your puppers and call them a good dog and thank them for being your friend, because you never know when your time together will end.
Rest in endless peace, Celes. May the other side of the rainbow bridge bring you your favorite treats (AKA literally any food), may it bring fun things to sniff, may it bring a sea of toilets to drink from and so much random paper towels and napkins to eat, you beautiful little weirdo, you. Mommy and daddy will miss you every single day and hope you'll visit us in our dreams to tell us all about the items you've resource guarded, the million smells you peed on and of course, the friends who you met up there that you poked with that silly nose of yours.
Thank you for reading this long-winded post, and please feel free to post fun stories about your best fur babies, be it current or past. May they leave eternal paw prints on our hearts 🐾❤
