Time Moves On

Time is a tricky thing. It brings you the future but it also takes away the present. I’m just a mutt, but I know that time doesn’t heal all wounds. Some things can’t be fixed. Some losses are forever.

It’s been five months since Shiloh left us. I miss that little girl every day.

I’m not sure what the universe had in mind when it gave Shiloh so many challenges. I do know she overcame abuse, starvation, a crippled body and cancer to live a happy life at Asherpark.

My life has come full circle since I was born in 2006. I was one of two blue dogs when I joined my beloved Codie. She died in 2009 but I still miss her like it was yesterday.

For six years we took in as many rescue dogs as we could manage. Mom would have brought in more but there wasn’t space in the bedroom for another mutt.

One by one we said goodbye to the rescue dogs we had come to love: Darcy, Nellie, Jack, Mama, Tess and finally Shiloh. Now it’s just two blue dogs again – me and Journey.

A couple weeks ago Journey asked me why we weren’t posting Barks anymore. I told her we were too busy with classes and all her training, but that wasn’t the real reason.

After Shiloh died my heart felt  heavy. Even the funny things Journey did couldn’t make me laugh. Then one day I saw Journey loving on mom. Journey’s little butt was wiggling, her tongue was going a mile a minute, and mom was laughing like the old days.

That’s when I realized I had to let go of missing Shiloh. I couldn’t keep wishing for the past. Little Journey is already sixteen months old. I’m ten years old. Time keeps bringing us lots of good stuff. I gotta pay attention to what’s happening now.

This morning I told Journey the truth about why we hadn’t been posting Barks. She looked at me real sad for a minute. I thought she was gonna cry.

Instead Journey looked right into my heart and said, “We can do this Ash. We can keep BarkingProse running. We’re working dogs……we can do this!”

Yes we can, Journey. Yes we can.