They come into our lives wanting nothing more than our love. They feed our souls with trust and care. They see our tears and wrap their paws around our legs to make sure we’re all right. They sense our fears when we scream at the people on the television or when we wake up crying during the night from a night mare. They protect us when something or someone threatens us. There is more love in their eyes, in that happy, wagging tail, and those soft, furry paws lying on your lap than any human has ever blessed you with. All they want is for you to say, “I love you and thank you for being my best friend.”
Who are these loving friends, our children? They are Sammy and Mikie for me. Sammy is a golden lab, almost 13 years old, and Mikie is a domestic, short hair cat, 14 years old today. Sammy is such a sweet dog, true to me as he was to his dad, Mike. When Mike passed away 8 years ago, Sammy was lost for several months, but I tried to give him solace by having him sleep with one of Mike’s shirts. I remember watching Mike say, “Good-bye,” to both of our boys before Mike’s surgery. For Sammy, Mike took his head in his strong hands and said, “This is just so long but take care of your mom if God wants me to come home.” In Sammy’s eyes, I could see that he knew his dad wasn’t coming home.
And so all these years, Sammy has protected and loved me with all of his heart. Sammy is nearing his end, and I know when God wants him to come home, I will cry with every bone in my body because with him will go his dad’s spirit. I’m doing my best to help Sammy be pain-free, but the time is coming when I will have to say, “Good-bye, my best friend.” I will carry his love with me for the rest of my life. If there is a “doggie heaven,” Sammy can say, “I did my very best for both mom and dad.”
Mikie cuddled in my arms as I bottle-fed him when he was just a little, soft, furry baby kitten. He was given to me as a house-warming gift by my second husband’s family 14 years ago. We’ve been through a lot together; he still reminds me that each day is a blessing not to be taken for granted. He has slept with me at the foot of my bed and snuggled in my lap when I sit in Mike’s Lazy Boy rocker. Mike was not a “cat person” when we first met, but he soon warmed up to Mikie’s meowing and his warm fur. Before his surgery, Mike held Mikie’s head between his hands and said, “I love you. Take care of your mom because she needs you.”
As the years have passed, I have felt helpless when Mikie doesn’t feel good. He has looked to me with his big eyes and said, “Please help me.” Our time together may be longer than with Sammy, but we both know God made our first meeting in a brown card board box such a blessing. My grandsons said I carried Mikie like a baby, but that’s the way I still carry him. I remember his soft fur and blue eyes when that bottle connected us for life. Now when I give him his medicines, I feel so maternal in his need of me. One day, I’ll have to say, “Good-bye, my love,” to him, too.
As the time approaches to help Sammy and Mikie to go home to God, I hope my Father will be with me because I will need His love to fill my heart without my loving friends, my pets, my children. I don’t know what I would have done without them during COVID. They were the light in my life that kept me hoping for a brighter future. It is said there is no greater sacrifice that a man can do than give his life for another. It should also be said that there is no greater gift that a pet can give its family than their love and protection. When you love your pets as family, they always love you back.
Anna Hartt
