Sunday, August 19, 2012

Network's Legacy - Three Years Later

Three years ago today, I said good-bye to my first Lab, Network. Writing about my second Lab had helped me after losing her, so I tried to do the same for Network. It didn't come easily like it had with Lily, until I realized that Network's story is really my story, a story about all the wonderful things that came into my life because of him.

Getting to know dogs, especially Labs and Goldens (he was part both), and the joy they bring to our lives, led me to spend most of my free time volunteering. Through my work with Healdsburg Animal Shelter, Canine Angels Service Teams, Safe Harbor Lab Rescue and Pawsitive Works, I have been touched hundreds of times by seeing the improvement in the lives of dogs and people when wonderful matches are made. This is something that Network gave to me.

He also gave me pet photography, one of the great joys of my life. Also very important, most of the friends that I have made over the past 15 years, especially the lifelong type, came to me because of him.

In our early years, I became intrigued by pet assisted therapy and by the sport of agility. We never got around to trying agility, and he was a little too easily frightened to be a good therapy dog, so I poured my energy into photography instead. But those two ideas that were planted in my mind with him have both come to be now with my third and fourth Labs - Sunny is a reading assistance dog working with elementary school students, and Star and I train and compete in AKC agility.

I will never forget you, my faithful friend. Thank you for making me who I am today.


Adapted from the original post: So-long-ol-pal