The Love Edition— The Healer Who Smelled of Love

And became an extension of mine

I had the privilege of having her in my life for thirteen years. She taught me more about love than anyone else ever has.

She had never experienced a bad encounter with people, so nothing held her back from spreading the most important energy in the world: love.

High Five! Image by the author.

She seemed to know everything. She could read people’s minds like open books; there was no way to fool her by pretending. She would go and hug a fellow passenger on public transport who had lost someone they loved.

She was always there to boost the tired and the sad. And I dare to say that she smelled of love, too.

She could tell me so much about people. Even though she showed love, she was not always fully on board with everyone. The ones she adored belonged to a category of their own.

Observing her behavior also taught me a lot about human behavior and nonverbal language. That’s why I called her my spiritual guide.

Oh, by the way, do you know what the most common dog breed is?

It’s The Daughter’s Dog. It’s a very versatile breed; it can be seen in any size and color.

She was one of them — never even intended for our family. Someone else had already reserved her and then backed off.

That turned out to be a true blessing.

For ten years of our journey together, I worked as a healer. My clients named her the Ambassador of Love. Some of my regular clients said that she was the one who healed, while I was more like a bystander. I think they were right.

The way she would lay on top of them while I was doing a treatment was fascinating. Her presence radiated something magical, and that magic kept me grounded, allowing me to truly give my clients my best. She also could often point out where the problem was.

Her diligence was touching. Sometimes I had old widows as clients. She would carry her chewing bone and drop it at their feet. I could not figure out why; it was obvious they would not play with her.

One day, I talked aloud about this. She looked at me, literally, as if saying “stupid!”

That’s when I got it. She chewed when she was happy. She wanted to share her happy tool with these widows who had very little joy in their lives.

She was my most reliable colleague during the years I worked with autism rehabilitation. She had a way to connect with the clients when no one else could.

Even her breeder said she was an exceptional one. She brought so much joy to everyone’s life. Her sense of humor was unbelievable.

On top of everything, she was so beautiful. I could not get enough of watching her.

Our years together included a darker era of my life. She was the one who carried me through those years. She loved me unconditionally — every single day — when the people I loved most had turned their backs on me.

A pet is not just another animal, but a family member.

The painful part of having a pet is when they get old. Their health starts to break down and it’s really difficult to find out what is actually going on. The vet bills can go far beyond the budget.

When our loved ones are not well, we are not really well either. I still carry the pain of the last year of her life.

I was petting her when she took her last breath. I still miss her every day. I remember how it felt to pet her silky fur, the beauty of her eyes.

Image by the author.

The love remains. The memories remain. I still have a picture of her as my phone wallpaper. When I go to sleep, I seek out that part of my mental space where she still is.

I like to think that she has now returned home, to the land of love. And I hope I can meet her there when it’s my time to go back home. I hope we will be as inseparable there as we were here.

Those who say you can’t buy love have never bought a Havanese.

Thank you for taking the time to read!

Tagging my favorite Writing Table editor Anhad Sandhu -thank you for this great, and this time very emotion-filled, writing challenge about love!

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