Remembering K

I'm sure that most of you throughout the Blogosphere have heard, as we did this morning, about K's Journey Over The Rainbow.  We learned the sad news this morning, as many of you probably did, from our friend Ann at Zoolatry.  

K was the treasured companion of KB, and over the past few months it has been a privilege to witness both K and KB's strength in the face of the adversity of K's cancer diagnosis.  Their shared zest for life and commitment to making the most of all the precious moments of each day that they spent together was incredibly inspiring.  In fact, even though I only discovered KB's blog after K was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, visiting their blog each day was, although often poignant, rarely a sad experience. Sure, we shed more than a few tears, but in truth, the beautiful photos of K romping through her world with courage and strength and joy, were uplifting and life-affirming more often than they were sad.  A shout out to life, as it were, rather than a dirge of imminent death.  

Which doesn't make this sudden loss any easier to take - after all, we had all watched K, with KB ever by her side, beat the odds over and over again.  How can it be that she is gone, never to romp again on this earthly plane?  

As sad as I am right now, though, I know it is nothing to what KB is feeling, and my heart physically aches for her pain.  Everyone who has ever loved a dog has either experienced, or one day will, the loss of one.  Dogs just don't live as long as we do, and the truth is that no matter how much time we have with them, it's never enough.  I had sixteen incredible years with my Dakotah ... and they were not enough by half.    But K's loss at such a young age, when she should by rights have had many more years to romp through the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies with KB, is just so unfair. 

Still ... the only way to ensure that we never have to suffer the loss of a beloved animal companion is to never open our hearts to them in the first place.  And that is no way to live.  So today I am going to spend an extra moment or two with each of my treasured companions.  I will lay my hands on each of their heads, or scratch the soft underside of their chins, and give thanks for the unflagging love and companionship they give me each and every day we are lucky enough to get to spend together, because each of these days, in fact, each of these moments, is a precious gift, and should be acknowledged as such. 

K and KB knew that, and they made the most of every day they had to be together.  In their names, and in K's honor, let's all try to do the same.

If you'd like to stop by and offer your condolences to KB, you can do so HERE.

Romp free, sweet K ...