Date of Death:
My Shadow
I entered the journey of adopting a GSD without truly understanding the lasting imprint a true, pure, and perfect creature of God would leave. Who knew my shadow was in the shape of a German Shepheard!
It was March 2, 2019, when we returned to look at few more dogs for the umpteenth time. This time was different and I knew that. Monroe silently spoke to me on a completely different level; she was tiny but mighty. Trish, one of the key volunteers with MAGSR, dubbed her the ‘Tiny Terrorist’, and in the following years, we discovered why in the purest and most loving way. No one could imagine the lives these poor pups, the Georgia-38, came from; starvation, neglect, abuse, and worse, but MAGSR gave these beautiful creatures the opportunity to be shown true love, affection, structure, more love, consistency, guidance in return for their loyalty. For that, we are eternally grateful.
Monroe was a mess and it was going to take a lot to heal her from the horrid past. We poured on the training, love, affection, patience, structure, and FOOD like never before. It was the best three years for all of us. Over those years she helped me with countless things from trivial tasks to the meaningful comforting of not only myself but friends who were surprised to learn Monroe could sense they needed comforting. She was an expert at cleaning the dishes (no pre-rinse needed), she HATED the vacuum as much as I did, guarded the house when we were away, helped me achieve the walking century club with Peloton in record time (wearing my century club T-shirt as I type this), and so much more. I watched a dog who was unfamiliar with love afraid to move to a dog jumping up on 3’ to 4’ walls on command. GSD’s are in my eyes the perfect creature, just perfect except for one thing; their life expectancy. We just never know when they will be called back up to Heaven.
I’ve had many dogs and it’s never easy to say goodbye to your family pet, never. But saying goodbye to Monroe has been beyond devastating. It feels like a void larger than the Grand Canyon. I will always miss her fierce loyalty, her ability to protect me, help with dishes, her trying to kill the vacuum cleaner and overall being an incredibly spoiled and loved member of our family. I will miss my shadow.
I will never understand why she was called too soon, but I am thankful we had the time we did. I love you Monroe and you are beyond missed. Until I meet you on the Rainbow Bridge…
