Let me begin by reassuring my friends that Dejah is perfectly fine. Well, OK, she pants a lot these days, catching her breath for no particular reason, and she has some trouble standing up after a good nap, but she is lovable as ever and is the first one out the door when we see a SQUIRREL! on the deck.
I follow a number of Facebook pages devoted to a shared love of golden retrievers. Lately it seems every day someone is posting about their best friend crossing the rainbow bridge. And our beloved Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars, is fast approaching a birthday that no golden retriever under the Bluhm roof has ever seen.
Willow The Best Dog There Is™ came closest, passing to the next world four days before her 12th birthday in 2021. And so as Dejah nears the August day when she is scheduled to turn 12, my anxiety level is inching up.
Dejah and Summer are the third and fourth goldens to grace the household; both Onyah and Willow were 11 when they left us. Oh, I’ve known older dogs; my first dog, Poppins, lived to see 13, and Willow’s big little brother Haley, a shih tzu mix, passed at 15.
I love the imagery of the Rainbow Bridge; in Norse mythology (and therefore in Thor comic books) Bifrost is the rainbow bridge between our world and Asgard, home of the gods, and that beautiful image has been co-opted in popular legend as the path that our furry friends take on the way to heaven.
It’s also a heartbreaking image, because it’s a symbol of the worst part of pet ownership, the fact that these (mostly) silent companions and friends don’t live nearly as long as we do.
Willow and Dejah were an impressive pair — you need not take my word for it, I posted their photo just a few days ago on July 12. Willow was a remarkably energetic puppy who settled gracefully into the role of queen of the house when we introduced Dejah as the new energetic puppy in October 2013 at age 8 weeks.
And Dejah does the queen of the house routine well enough now that she is older sister to Summer — who by the way turns 4 (!) this weekend. Willow and I bonded so closely that I often felt I was short-changing Dejah, but needless to say I have come to cherish every day my princess lumbers up the stairs or takes a breath deep in her sleep.
I feel it deeply every time I see a post that begins, “My [insert name here] crossed the rainbow bridge today and is not in pain anymore,” because I have felt that loss and am in no hurry for that inevitable experience. Look at that face — you’d be in no hurry, either.
Make a point every day to tell your furry companions — and your human loved ones, too, for that matter — that you love them. The time to say goodbye is always too soon and sometimes unexpected, so cherish every moment while you can.
