Questioning Why I Have a Pet

I am writing this live from the vet wondering how on earth I let myself get so attached to a four-legged, snotty nosed, animal.

In my previous wellness post, I discussed Sawyer’s sickness from earlier this year. Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. Just last night Sawyer was experiencing the same neck pain. So here I am at the vet waiting for him to get sedated so he can get an x-ray.

Upon my waiting here, I have seen owners and their pets come in and out for various reasons. Grooming, check-ups, and even acupuncture. My heart wasn’t ready to handle what I saw coming through the door. Aside from these appointments, I recognized a family coming in with their elderly dog. I soon later noticed a little girl crying and heard them saying goodbye to “Sammy”. My brain started putting these pieces together. I nearly started crying realizing what was going to happen during their vet visit.

Hence why I have grown to question why I have a pet. Why and how did I get suckered into loving something more than I could ever love myself? Only to recognize that his life span is drastically shorter than my own. Is it really worth it to love and then deal with the pain of losing?

Absolutely.

Someone once told me, “you are all they know. Their whole life is you.”  We are all capable of understanding how truly significant that is. While our pets are so important to us, we are even more important to them.

Think about your life. How many best friends have you had? How many friends have come and gone? The loyalty is never questioned from your pet. They are in it for the long haul and wouldn’t trade you for the world.

We are able to handle this loss because the love we receive is so outstanding that it is something many of us would never choose to live without. To have such a pure, innocent love is worth everything.

I went in the room to retrieve Sawyer and learn more about the neck pain, probably cervical disk issues. We are still awaiting further x-ray reviews and will possibly be taking next steps with a neurologist. I learned a great deal about acupuncture which is something little Sawyer may be testing out (if anyone has any experience with dog acupuncture let me know).

Thankfully, as Sawyer and I were leaving, that dog, “Sammy,” also walked out with his family. I was just being dramatic and over analyzing… Yet it made me think about finding good in a hard time.

To answer my question, “how on earth could I let myself get so attached to a four-legged, snotty nosed, animal?” It’s because he is the freaking best.