It’s been a hard week. We put our loyal Labrador retriever, Bagheera, to sleep on Saturday. There is a hole in my family, my life, and my office.
If you’re a self-employed dog or cat owner, you know the space your furry sidekick occupies, physically and psychologically. Not half-jokingly, I’ve always called Baggy my office manager.
Not joking at all, I often said I wish I could teach her to sell, because she pretty much wouldn’t take “no” for an answer—at least when it was time for our morning walk, a bowl full of nuggets, a hike in the woods of northern Arizona, or (when she was younger) an endless game of fetch or a plunge into mucky water, the fouler the better.
In a world without human coworkers, a dog is probably your biggest distraction—and that’s a wonderful thing. Get up from your desk—I gotta go potty! Don’t take yourself so seriously! Look, a critter to chase! Hey, mailman’s here!
A dog also doesn’t give a lick about how business is going, client frustrations, or boring projects. It’s all good! Let’s do something else!
Bagheera started her career literally at my feet, a wee blue-gray-eyed puppy curled up between my shoes under my desk. Having soon outgrown that space, she split her daytime hours roughly 50-50 sacked out in my office and on security duty (or what passes for such in the Lab breed) in the family room or backyard. Through all the changes in my business and my family, from the beaches of Mexico to the snow drifts of the Canadian Maritimes, she gave us more than her share of memories over a too-short 11 1/2 years.
So here I sit at my desk, with the sun not quite peeking over the horizon. In my mind’s ear, I hear the thump-thump-thump of Baggy’s billy-club tail against the door jamb to get our morning started. C’mon, Dad, let’s go! Food! Walk! First nap of the day!
Our younger dog, Mowgli, might not be quite ready for a promotion. Then again, he had a tremendous mentor.
Aw, so sorry, Jake. It is so hard losing a beloved pet. I don’t have a dog now (we had two black labs in the past) but we do dog-sit my sister’s dog (a white miniature schnauzer) a couple times a year when she and my brother-in-law take some R&R time.
The longest we had had Kali was 2 weeks. She would keep me company in my home office, hoping to persuade me to play with her. 😉 When she figured it wasn’t happening, she would jump onto my couch or lay at my feet to keep me company. I was soooo depressed when she went back home.
Hoping Bagheera has found a comfy spot in doggie heaven. 🙂
I’m very sorry for your loss Jake.
Losing pets can be very difficult. I also had doggie companions in my home office: two golden retrievers over 15 years. I still miss them every day.
It does get better with time.
Sorry for your loss Jake, sleep tight Bagheera. My cats are the perfect company, they’ll snooze in my office most of the day but stop me from working too hard by climbing all over me when it’s food or play time. It’s so hard when we lose our beloved pets, but you know that you enriched her life just as much as she enriched yours.
So sorry for your loss. Run free Bagheera ❤️
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and kind words–they brightened my day. I’m 100% confident she’s knee-deep in tennis balls and very slow squirrels!
Jake, I just saw this. I’m sorry. Pets are often the best friends we have. The most unconditional love imaginable.
Peace to you, my friend.
Thank you, Lori–you’re absolutely right.