Grand Champion Burlwood’s Unlike Any Other
April 17, 2012 – December 28, 2020
It is with unbearable sadness that I am writing of the loss of our dear sweet Lexi. She was a beautiful girl, a brave girl, a funny girl, a loving girl, and she made my world a better place. My heart is breaking, but Kim and I would not let her suffer. We loved her too much to ever let that happen. And just like we knew she would, on a gray December morning, she let us know it was time for her to make her journey to the Rainbow Bridge. She was tired of fighting. Cancer had won…
She laid in my arms that morning on the floor in the vet’s office, as I told her it was OK to say good-by…that I loved her with all my heart, and that I would never forget her. For what seemed like an eternity, I cradled her, cuddled her, kissed her…trying to drink in everything about her. I will miss her eyes gazing lovingly at me. I will miss our walks. I will miss our snuggles and cuddles. I will miss her sassiness. I will miss everything about her!
She was a hoot, and has left a huge hole in our hearts which will take a long time to heal. The entire pack is grieving in their own ways, and I am helping them adjust to the loss of the “Alpha of the Toys”. But in their infinite doggie wisdom, they knew it was time for her to cross. They knew she wasn’t well. They knew what I didn’t want to accept. My heart aches as her bowls sit empty, as her collar and leash lay untouched, as her favorite blankie still lays in her favorite spot on the floor. My heart ached as Muffy let out a single mournful howl, calling for a pack member who would never return. My heart ached as Sixx left her breakfast untouched. My heart ached as Brody sat faithfully at the window, waiting for a friend who has gone forever.
Lexi taught me a lot during her short eight years here on earth…and maybe that was her mission…to teach me to be more carefree and to be more loving. To find the joy in a walk, to find the fun in playing with your friends, to take time to just enjoy the essence of being alive.
Four years ago today, I wrote the following post on Facebook. How prophetic it rings now that Lexi has passed.
“I write this for all of my friends who have lost their beloved dogs. With each post I have read, tears have been shed. Tears for you, and tears for me as I thought about my past. As I sat at my computer this morning, I sought solace in writing. Hopefully my thoughts will provide us all with some comfort: It is better to have known the love of a dog, than to never have known that love at all. Love which is unconditional. Love that brings with it the wag of a tail, the prick of an ear, the tilt of a head. Love that feels your sorrow, feels your pain, feels your loneliness, and with one touch, makes all of that disappear. Love that feels your joy and your happiness, and with one touch, magnifies those feelings tenfold. And even though it saddens us, grieves us to the point of despair when God decides it is time for them to leave our side and move onto another plain, in His wisdom He leaves us with memories that in time will warm our hearts and bring smiles back to our faces until we meet up with them again…memories of how much richer our lives are because we loved…and were loved by…a dog.
And so I await that time, when I can think of her and smile. I await that time when the tears that flow so freely now become tears of joy because I was blessed to have her in my life. And I await that time when she greets me again with that sassy bark…Run free sweet angel!
GCH Burlwood’s Unlike Any Other April 17, 2012 – December 28, 2020
