Love in Unexpected Places

When Roxy and her fellow canine came to live with us nearly a decade ago, we weren't looking for new family members. But when God presents you with an opportunity to care for His living creation, you'd be wise to do so.

I didn't always appreciate Roxy's special personality. She was energetic, to say the least. She jumped on anybody and everybody all the time. She barked at approaching cars, the wind, and anything else she could see moving through the window where she loved to perch. Oddly enough, she rarely barked at anything when she was actually outside.

When Roxy's buddy died a few years ago, her spark dimmed a little. She never seemed to quite recover and became very needy, always following someone around, always seeming a bit neurotic. But she remained a bundle of energy, still jumping, still barking, still excited to see the great outdoors.

Recently we discovered Roxy had a tumor. Surgery showed it was an aggressive form of cancer, and the vet warned us that it would recur. Our time with Roxy was coming to an end...we just didn't know how quickly.

Last week she stopped eating. At first we were able to get her to eat small bits of human food, but that didn't last long. Eventually, the most she would do is sniff it and drink a little water. Already a fairly small dog, she started losing weight rapidly. Our hearts were breaking because there really wasn't anything we could do for her other than end her suffering. My husband and I didn't want to make that choice. We prayed that God would allow her to pass away peacefully in her sleep. But it soon became evident that we would need to take action.

Roxy continued to get around okay, even showing excitement at going outside to sniff around. Since she didn't appear to be in distress, we wanted to wait through the holiday weekend to make a decision, knowing that our grandchildren would be here for a few hours and she would enjoy time with them. And she did.

As the weekend drew to a close, Roxy was getting weak. She was sometimes having difficulty going up and down the stairs, and we feared she might fall and be injured. It was obvious the end was near, and we knew she was beginning to suffer. It was time to say goodbye.

My husband couldn't hide his soft side as the events unfolded. But who knew my hard, cold heart would break? Who would have expected me to miss tripping over her around every dark corner or stepping on stray balls of dog food that felt like Legos underfoot, or to feel sadness that I no longer had to watch for puddles on the floor? 

Sometimes we find that we loved where we never planned, and we miss what we didn't fully appreciate while we could. Life is unpredictable. Life can be painful. But we can always find love if we open our minds to the possibilities. Even in the form of a little spitfire of a pup who moved into our lives and into our hearts when we least expected.