Goodbye Tiggy

January 6, 2010

While living an ordinary life, occasionally, like a glimpse of God, we encounter the extraordinary. I’m sure you can recall a particular place, a sound, a smell, or a person where you perceived that you encountered something profound which lifted you out of the expected and made your realize that you were in the presence of something very extraordinary.

Our life with Tiggy was extraordinary. The realization that Tiggy, our eleven-year-old boxer, was extraordinary wasn’t an Ah ha! moment. Within her first year I knew that she was put on this earth for a purpose. Tiggy’s soul was very deep and she listened intently to our moods and she was there to comfort as well as make us laugh. At times she would quietly and stoically be at our sides and she was playful and mothering to our other boxer, Winnie.

Though Tiggy wasn’t gifted with an athletic or reliable body, she surely made up for her physical weakness with heart and spirit. In her mid-years, she endured two separate and successful knee surgeries that gave her 5 more years of healthy life.

The last several months, Tiggy was giving me signs that she was becoming weaker and her health wasn’t reliable. I spent more time with her cuddling and telling her about how much I appreciated her love and thanking her for being our steadfast companion. I nuzzled her soft neck and memorized her beautiful smell, knowing this being would not be with us forever.

Christmas holidays brought my daughter, son-in-law, and their boxer, Lucy, from Portland together with our son and his wife. We planned a family outing designed especially as a play day for our 3 dogs at Point Reyes Beach. Playing at the beach was the 3 boxer’s happy place. They filled their afternoon with chasing sticks, playing at the water’s edge, investigating the unusual smells, and racing down the sand . . . An extraordinary day at an extraordinary place.

As the day came to a close, taking some last photos and trooping back to the cars, Tiggy collapsed with a heart attach. We settled her down in the soft sand and reassured her that she was safe, to let her know how much we loved and appreciated her and would miss her. Her job on this earth was done and she accepted our loving touches and our reassurances that she could relax now as we kissed her goodbye.

How do we measure grief? Do we grieve less for our beloved pets than we do of our human friends? I think not. I have learned a lot about grief from Winnie, our younger boxer. She is heartbroken and is left without the leadership of her constant companion Tiggy. She is confused and struggles to find her place in this world where there is now a hole. We can only reassure her and love her. Hopefully time will heal all our sorrow of the loss of Tiggy.

We certainly will never forget her gentle soul.