Through loss and reflection, came It’s a Wonderful Dog ~ A Christmas Tail. Here’s how it all began . . .

Last year, my grandmother, my last living grandparent, passed away in January and later that year after Thanksgiving, our beloved big hearted, ever present Great Pyrenees, Enzo died. (You can see him pictured in the featured image of this post.) Entering December, I had no desire to celebrate anything. Our house seemed cold and lonely without the familiar nail taps behind me on the wood floors or the lumbering goofiness of our very good boy who always was a few steps back from all my activities.

My grief at losing Enzo didn’t go away, despite the fact that I felt positive and happy in almost every other area of my life. I obsessively sorted through all the photos on my iPhone hoping to maybe see him in the background of a photo. And I couldn’t seem to turn my attention away from how much better something would have been if he’d been around for it. A low-grade, dripping molasses sadness was inside of me, no matter how much I tried to shake it away.

One day, the idea of It’s a Wonderful Dog – A Christmas Tail came to me reflecting on how much we are enriched by the dogs who travel with us through our life’s journey. How much better everything seems when we come home to happy eyes, ferociously wagging tails, and slobbering kisses. I also thought how quickly the years move and before we know it, the puppy that brought us so much joy in their tumbles and silliness are grey faced with solemn eyes and look up at us for one cherished last time, and our time together has come to end almost like someone hit a fast forward button through the decade or so of their life. And as painful as the image is and can be, we wouldn’t ever choose not to take the journey.

The only thing that helped me was writing. And focusing how much our lives are enriched with our dogs in them – even if we know the inevitable, short ending of their lives. One aspect of It’s a Wonderful Dog highlights what I believe to be our darling dogs’ worse fear. That at times in their lives, they’ve disappointed us. And in a point in my story, Bear Bailey most definitely feels his beloved owner, Mary, would have been better off without him after misunderstanding her anger and despair of a situation. Of course, that isn’t true. But in mending Bear Bailey’s narrative through the story, I somehow seemed to fix my own broken heart and accomplished something I always wanted to do. Write a story that might bring comfort to people.

Wherever you are, whether a recent heartbreak from the loss of a pet or you love the holidays and think your dog is the best one ever (and they’re all the best ones ever!) I truly wish a happy, upcoming holiday season to you and your furry family. Thanks for giving my book a bit of time on your lap and hopefully, a little place in you and your own wonderful dog’s hearts.