“But just for now, I need to mourn,
Our hearts- they need to mend.
Though some may say, “It’s just a pet.”
We know we’ve lost our friend
Companion pal, and confidante
A friend we won’t forget
You’ll live for always in our hearts
Our sweet forever pet.” – Unknown
Thirteen years ago our friend Danny gave us an addition to our family; the sweetest Pug- just 10 weeks old. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted the responsibility of a dog and even asked for a day to think about it. A day? I couldn’t stop thinking about that little bundle as soon as he left the house. He had already stolen my heart! A few hours later, I was “all in” – committed to be the mother of a fur baby. I named him Guido-Panini. “GP” (named by Alanna Chasin) was well-known in Italy. Yes, he was! My Italian friends got the biggest kick out of his name. The first vacation to Italy after taking ownership of GP, I left behind a shirt for Guido to wear so he would have my scent close to him. Someone suggested it. Upon returning home, I walked over took Guido out of his crate and his eyes said, “Mom, you’re back!” He crawled into my arms, snuggled in and kissed me. That was the most beautiful feeling in the world! Guido-Panini was such a well behaved dog. On our fall morning walks, I would get the biggest kick out of watching GP pick up the largest pine cone and bring it home. Sometimes it would drop out of his mouth; however he was determined to get it home. It was an accomplishment to get a tennis ball or a pine cone home and drop it on the chair in the patio. Guido never barked unless he was playing with me; however he would bark if he sensed that the character of someone was questionable. He was so smart! A trainer said that GP would never learn the “down” command after turning 5 or 6 years old. It was too submissive. Well, 45 minutes later and the help of zucchini, GP’s Aunt Jillian Boyd trained him. #WonderDog Friends who said they feared dogs or were “allergic” still had a desire to pet Guido and their fears or allergies disappeared. Yes, he was that irresistible!
On March 16, 2016 @1pm, Guido-Panini walked toward the Rainbow Bridge. He had overcome so many adversities in the past few years. We thought we were going to lose “GP” when he was hospitalized for 6 days mid-February. When we visited him in the hospital, he would try to climb into my arms, position himself for me to carry him and then push against me as if saying, “Come on Mom, let’s get out of here.” After careful research and a conversation with our vet, we wanted to give one last gift to Guido: to make the transition at home. I spoke with a loving group of vets who help pets transition at home. An interesting thing happened that morning: GP decided that he could make this transition without assistance. Our #WonderDog started to move toward the Rainbow Bridge on his own. I was told what signs to look for that would tell me he was ready; however we had scheduled a time with this vet. GP looked at me and his eyes said, “Don’t worry, I know what to do. We don’t need any drugs. I can go naturally.” I laid on the floor with GP all morning showering him with love and comfort. Opened the windows so he could see the trees. In one moment, I couldn’t help but think about the animals who pass alone or live in the wild without a loved one by their side. As the moment came, I was right by his side, telling him how much I loved him as he drew his last breaths. Before the car came to take him, I cleaned him and burned sage around him in preparation for his journey.
We are eternally grateful to have been the chosen parents for this special fur baby. We have experienced profound happiness and now we must experience profound sadness. Arrivederci carissimo Guido-Panini. Our hearts will always wear the paw prints left by you.♥
One Last Note:
In the mornings, I had this ritual of petting Guido all over this body; giving him a belly rub and touching his heart. I wanted him to know how much he was loved every day. He would place his paw in my hand and press against it. It was his way of telling me that he loved me too. One morning I snapped this photo which represents our ever-present connection. ♥
Robin Ray Eller 