“Your Furry Little Companion Wants You To Be Loved”

When I lost my first pug, Solomon, the pain was excruciating. The first few days were almost unbearable. I cried so much my eyes were nearly swollen shut and my nose was red and raw. I was sure that the pain would never end, but I’m here to tell you, that as time passed, it got easier, and I wouldn’t trade that heartbreak for the world.

Dogs, but especially pugs, love with reckless abandon. They have no conditions - they don’t care how much money you make, what you look like, how you talk, if you’re popular or not - all they care about is bringing you love (well, that and food, who am I kidding?). When you live with a pug, you are never alone - it seems they are always at your feet, or at least not far behind. And therefore, they often see you at your absolute best, but also at your absolute worst. And they NEVER judge - they just love you. A pug hears your deepest secrets, shares in your greatest joys, and also comforts you through your toughest days. A pug’s love and support, is constant, genuine, and unlimited.

The average life span of a pug is 12 to 15 years, so if you’ve ever had the pleasure of falling in love with one, chances are, you have had or are going to have, the unfortunate experience of grieving the loss of pug. With great love, comes even greater heartache. So, when you lose a pug, the void they leave behind can be enormous. I never thought I would be able to get over Solomon, let alone open my heart and love another pug again. But I have, and I do. And I promise, if you ever have to go through this, you will too.

I think every connection with a dog is different, but equally special. Solomon was definitely my soul dog. I can’t describe to you exactly what our connection was like, there just aren’t words, but I can tell you it was palpable. Other people in my life could see it, and they knew we were a package deal. I’m not a religious person. I don’t have any clear or concrete thoughts about what happens when we die, but I do think that if there is a heaven, it is filled with pugs.

I have heard people talk about soulmates, and honestly, I’m not sure that I believe there is just one special someone out there for each of us. Maybe. But more likely, I think a person could have more than one soulmate over a lifetime, and even more likely, I don’t think it has to be another human. I think soulmates can come in all forms, a partner, a brother or a sister, a son or a daughter, a friend, or even…a pet.

I know that when you lose a pug, or any pet for that matter, a common thought is, will I ever be able to love another dog again? Or, will I be trying to replace the one that I’ve lost? I think that every connection with a dog is unique and special, but the thing that they all have in common is that your dog wants you to be happy. Your furry little companion wants you to be loved. I’m sure, that if your pug could choose to live by your side for all of your years - that is exactly what they would do. But because they can’t, I believe that they would want you to find another dog to bring you joy.

I have had several pugs now, and while I have bonded with each of them differently, each one has a huge place in my heart and they always will.

~Heather

To read a blog post Heather wrote about Solomon shortly after he passed, click here ❤️