Love the dogs you have while you have them. They're not here forever.
I really took them for granted and I missed them terribly. And I'll even confess that with Abby being Abby, Grace being older and sporting an old injury and me really wanted to dabble in agility/obedience etc, and basically just wishing to have a really 'easy' dog without any 'issues', I've spent a lot of time dreaming of my next dog.
And then I look at Grace and she is pretty much as perfect a dog as I could ever ask for. And she is twelve and quite frankly that has been playing on my mind of late. Thankfully she is as playful and idiotic as ever and in good health. She just is sleeping more. I know it's a fact of life and it's so stupid to be so surprised - omg, she's twelve! How did that happen? But quite frankly, I'm pissed that she is this old, when really the time has flown and I feel like we need another 12 at least.
And Abby is just a special girl. Is she a pain in the butt? Yes. Could I do with a holiday from her sometimes? Absolutely. Would I want to repeat the process with Nextdog? Preferably not. But she holds a special place in my heart and she taught me more about dogs and dog ownership than one dog ever should have to lol. And she taught me about myself - good and bad.
Goodness, I spend most of my life worrying about her and sometimes it's so draining. I swear sometimes I forget to enjoy her company. And really, it's because I just love her so bloody much. I'd just be lost without her. So, thanks for the reminder.
Sorry for the whiney post.