My life has been filled with beautiful companions at various turns and to varying degrees of personal importance. Only a few of them become embedded deeply into my psyche, my existence and its quality. Some of these companions have been people. A very few have been animals. I've only had four close animal companions as an adult and only one of these has been a dog. My faithful friend, Sandor.

He's a beauty. Strong. Silent. Loyal. Friendly. A greeter who's always happy to see you. The kind of companion that ups your personal joy factor at least a little bit every day. I sing silly dog songs to him in the morning. He will brave hurricanes and dragons with me, no questions. My only problem with him is he's getting old and he's had a few odd health concerns of late. Meaning he may not be around for much longer. Meaning I'm preemptively sad and preemptively scared by his more and more imminent exit from this life.

I LOVE this dog. His companionship has been constant and excellent. I don't remember not having him around. So, I'm incredibly sad as I write this with him beside me, alive but not so well. Maybe he's had a stroke. Perhaps it's the heart stuff the vet mentioned months and months ago. He woke up and wasn't his regular, peppy old self. Had trouble with the stairs. Hasn't had even one of his regular two outings. Perhaps it's just a bit of doggy flu or something but I'm feeling scared about the future loss of this most excellent friend.

I've never had a friend like this dog. Doesn't much care if I'm cranky, ugly, sad, happy, stinky, or quiet. Has a sweet loving quality to him regardless. And that is such a gift. So, I celebrate this animal and the others like him that quietly love us with abandon, that fight bears and would be home invaders, that comfort us when we're sad with closeness and warmth and licks. They are part of the light that makes this life worth it. I love you sweet dog. You've been such an amazing friend. I hope I have you around for a little while longer.

Cherish love and friendship and connection. It's so beautiful, rare, and always fleeting.