(A Dog to Remember)
I didn’t think it was fair to only show Sammy on my website, so I’ve dedicated to write about my other dog, Frankie. He was such a sweet boy!! He loved giving kisses! He was one of Sammy’s boys… literally Frankie was his son! (Sammy, who is a pug shi-tzu mix, had “gotten together” with a then-friend’s pure bred bassett hound… which meant that Frankie was just a little over a year younger than Sammy. He was also bigger… Frankie weighed close to 50 pounds). The two didn’t always get along. Frankie was always a very anxious dog and had intense separation anxiety. He made it to his 11th birthday last September, and then unfortunately a few days after, I had to say goodbye to him. I had gone to Edmonton with my boyfriend to visit his family for the weekend and left the dogs to be looked after by my upstairs neighbours. Frankie had started on a new medication to help control his anxiety and was now becoming confused and displaying slightly more aggressive behaviours (more so towards Sammy). While I was away, the neighbour messaged me to let me know Frankie had bit him. I was in shock! I came to find out that when the neighbour went to move his breakfast bowl (which was common! If neither dog touched his food after like 20 minutes it would be picked up and put on the counter for later… to avoid the other one from over-eating). However, Frankie did not like this. He actually wasn’t anywhere near the neighbour, but when he saw his dish was being moved, he went to him and bit his hand and then ran into my bedroom. The neighbour was so kind and was apologetic to me! I felt just awful!! Thankfully the bite was very minimal (looked more like a cat scratch). The next morning, while still in Edmonton, I woke up with this “knowing” feeling. When I got home that Monday I called three different vets (including the one I had Frankie see in June. We weren’t sure at the time if his behaviours had been signs of dog dementia). After speaking with two vets and an animal behavioural consultant, it was decided that Frankie was unsafe to himself, to Sammy, and now people. I had a friend’s wedding coming up as well… and was super scared with the thought of leaving him with anyone else. I called and spoke with my best friend, my mom and brother, and of course my boyfriend. I still cry just thinking about the situation as a whole. It was an awful experience… and first time I’d have to actually put an animal down.
Let’s be clear here… this post is not about debating the situation and the decision. I had tried soooo many medications and had help from behavioural consultants in the past to help with his anxieties. Frankie was 11 years old and had been showing increasing decline for probably well over a year at this point… but it wasn’t until the bite that the idea of having him “put down” became a reality. With the anniversary of his death next month (September 21, 2022), I felt it was time to look over past pictures and give him another chance to be shown to the world. :0) He had a lot of people who loved him very much!! I had friends and family come say goodbye to him before his final vet visit.
Frankie will always be remembered as one of the sweetest, kindest and silliest looking dogs ever!! I usually kept his hair short and in doing so, he looked a little bit like a cartoon character! He was very silly… he preferred drinking water out of the bath tub! He very much enjoyed just cuddling next to whomever! He had the biggest, almost “Dumbo-style” ears! :0) He had these sweet, beautiful, kind-soul type, big, brown eyes! He also had a super long tongue… that I would refer to lovingly as a “lizard-tongue”. His nicknames were “Frankie Frank” and (from my brother mostly), “Monster”. We sometimes called him “Frank the Tank” too. His tail would whip excitedly whenever I came home (or in the mornings waiting to be let out), and he would whip it against the wall by the door when I entered… it would make this loud, thumping sound (which always surprised me that it never seemed to hurt or bother him to do this). He would also sense when I was tired or about to have a migraine and would try to get me to stop whatever I was doing to just sit with him on the couch. He also very much liked to lay on his back with his legs spread out! He was a character for sure!! He will forever be missed… but I am so very grateful to have had him in my life for as long as I did. Sammy was sad when he initially realized that Frankie would not be coming home (I did not take Sammy with me to the vet. My brother was kind enough to watch him). But, Sammy has been enjoying all the attention to himself. He is especially enjoying playing with his little yellow ball! (Frankie didn’t like to play fetch or with toys in general… it actually irritated him to watch Sammy play sometimes).
What have I learned from this experience?? Dogs are amazing creatures and deserve so much love and respect! I have also learned that even though some memories can make us sad and cry… they are still beautiful memories and I am very lucky and happy to have them. I know that Frankie is in heaven. I know he is with my friend’s cats. (Her daughter, my “niece” was 9 years old when Frankie passed. I remember my friend chatting with me the next day telling me that her daughter told her to tell me that Frankie would be with her cats and be safe. That they would be looking out for him. That was such a touching sentiment). I also know he is with my grandmother. She was very allergic to pets but she was always very kind to mine. My Grandma June was also someone who loved me and made me feel like she was proud of me… even for something simple like baking a cake from a cake mix! So this post is about how sometimes in life there are some very hard decisions and hard emotions to go through… but if you can have the help and support of some good people, and remind yourself you did the best you could in that moment with the resources you had, then you can ease some of your pain by knowing you made the right choice, the right decision. Frankie will always be in my heart. I am sad that he is longer here in physical form, but he is no longer in physical pain with arthritis or dealing with medications that would change his personality and make him more fearful. He is safe. He is calm. He is always loved… no matter the distance!!
I have basically “photo-bombed” the bottom of this post with several pictures of Frankie, Frankie and Sammy together, me with both dogs two days before saying goodbye. These pictures are meant to bring some smiles to your faces, just as much as mine. Now my focus is having Sammy be happy, healthy and safe.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am sorry if it’s sad… there is a lot of this reflective energy lately with the planets and the need to review the past. However, I do find that with sharing some past pains, I am better able to release the negative emotions attached. I greatly enjoyed looking through old pictures to add to this post!! By sharing these pictures I am giving Frankie another chance to be seen and loved. So that would be my recommendation for anyone who has lost a pet (or a person)… find a day or some time to share their pictures and talk about them. It doesn’t need to be everyday you do this… you also need to live in the present moment! This is not meant to be a painful exercise… but one to enjoy sharing some happy memories and feel that connection again. Pets are amazing creatures and serve us well. Losing a pet is extremely hard and stressful to go through, no matter what the reason for saying goodbye! But I will remind myself as I remind you… we are saying goodbye to their physical form, not their imprints on our hearts.
Below I have offered a short list of some blogs/articles that discuss saying goodbye and how to cope afterwards. Again, these are just suggestions. This is only meant to help and not cause additional suffering for you or your beloved pet. I hope it helps!! Please remember to take good care of yourself through this process as well.
-Below are links on “coping with the loss of a pet-
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-cope-death-your-pet
*What I did… I had Frankie cremated with other animals and his ashes spread at a farm of the vet’s choosing. I also had the vet do a beautiful footprint that I keep above the fireplace. Years ago I had a photo blanket made with Sammy and Frankie on it. This blanket now hangs at the top of my stairs, so whenever anyone enters the home they quickly see “my boys”. :0) (My boyfriend actually suggested the spot. I hadn’t put the blanket out when we first moved into our home and once he suggested this idea, I was all over it!) I have also recently commissioned a friend to do their paintings. This doesn’t take away the sadness… but it allows me to see his beautiful face throughout my home. I will say goodnight to him some nights as I pass the blanket… and my hope/plan is to put the new paintings (once completed) in my tarot room, so Frankie can still be close by when I do my readings. Of course, you can do all of these things, or none of them, or find some other things that help you with your grief. I do send hugs and patience and comforting energies to anyone who has recently lost, or soon will be losing a pet. Another thing you can do … write a letter. I wrote one for Frankie below.
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Dear Frankie,
I love you Frankie and miss you tons!! Thank you for being my dog, my companion, my friend. Thank you for taking care of me. Lots of hugs and pets… and of course Sammy loves and misses you (some days), too. Until we meet again… have fun resting and relaxing under the sun, my sweet boy. I love you!
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Now… time for some happy and fun pictures!! :0)
333 The Spiritual | Brandy Marie 
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