Cruiser

I recently heard...'grief is the price we pay for love'. I wrote it down because I didn't want to forget it...and because I believe it to be an absolute truth. You see, I lost my Cruiser this past winter and I am grieving for him still. He was a beautiful tri-factored sable and white rough collie...my loverboy. Cruiser, Cruisie, Doozy, Roozy...I miss you so.

Several years ago, Cruiser passed his HIC (herding instinct certification) with flying colors. The tester joked that one sheep must have mustard on him, as Cruiser was totally fixated on that one sheep. Here's a photo...you can just see Cruiser behind that one sheep...

Here's Cruiser last summer, having a relaxing day outside...

In January, Cruiser was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis, a fancy medical term for kidney failure. He had been having problems for about a year, but without extensive and expensive testing, we could never put our finger on what exactly was wrong with him. When he was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis, that answered a few questions, but didn't explain all that had been going on with him. In the end, it doesn't really matter...he is gone. I euthanized him on February 28.

When we bring an animal into our lives, it is with the knowledge that we will more than likely outlive them. Yet, we apparently feel that the years of companionship and unconditional love we receive are worth it. Knowing that they will not always be with us doesn't make it easier to say good-bye, but I do believe that it keeps our hearts open and full.

He was my love.