This is a message I posted to Facebook a while back. I'm re-posting it, because I feel that we all need to be reminded of the relationships we enjoy with our Newfs from time to time - as well as the brevity of life itself. ~ed.
Today, I opened my inbox and in there was a post from one of the many Newf-related mailing lists I belong to. It heralded the passing of another beloved Newfie. These notices, sadly, are not uncommon; Newfs generally don't live much longer than 10 or 12 years of age. This particular notice I read was a beautiful tribute to a dog I didn't know from a person I had never met. But, I cry at every announcement of a dog's passing, whether I know them or not.
Those of you who know me well, know that I am a very empathic person, blessed (cursed) with the ability to feel the pain (or happiness or stress) of others. Much of my sorrow at these notices is empathy, raw and painful. I have no mechanism for filtering this kind of stuff out. Some of it, however, is the knowledge that I will someday have to post the same type of message. Merlin is almost 4 years old, you see, and although hale and hearty now, I know - just as I've known all along - that he will eventually leave this earth and I will be forced to suffer the same loss.
Each one of us Newfie people will have to do the same. We must. It is the cost of loving a member of such a noble, yet short-lived breed. This seemingly huge cost still does not outweigh our desire to love and care for these gentle giants; on the contrary, it makes our love for them - and especially their love for us - all the more precious.
There are days, like today, when the mere thought of facing the same fate, the inevitable passing of Merlin, is almost too much to bear. Boston, the new member of the family is just a baby, not yet one year old. I can only hope that she will be there with me - and for me - when I must say goodbye to Merlin. And, I hope that I will have another Newf around when Boston leaves me, to help heal the hurt.
I am reminded of something I said to a group of Newf club members gathered last year. To paraphrase, I had said that I have been the owner of many dogs of different breeds, and I had loved each one very much. But, I never knew that I could be in love - so desperately smitten and enamored - with a dog until I got Merlin. It took acquiring, caring for and loving Merlin for me to understand the treacherously deep bond one can have with their Newf.
So, I write this in the full knowledge that I will someday lose my beloved Merlin. And, I face it with dread and trepidation. But, also, I face it with hope. Hope that there will be another Newf by my side, that I am also desperately in love with, to help me face the inevitable.
Copyright - Danielle K Bingham
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Danielle - I learned the lesson long ago that "everything you love will leave you...unless die first." However short the time, I always remind myself that I would rather have that incredible relationship in my life (for whatever time there is) then to have never experienced it at all. We all have a calendar and time frame for being here - even the animals! The blessing for me is that they were willing to share it with me. And the longer I live in this body, the more that will be waiting for me at the other end of the Rainbow Bridge - what a grand celebration THAT will be!!
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