Seven months

Lance,

This weekend will mark the seventh month since you had to leave us. I’m going to have to do something hard tomorrow and I’m not sure how I will do with it. The place where we said our good-byes to one another is having an open house. I want to go to support your behavior vet and the wonderful people who helped us take care of you all of these years, but it also means returning to the place we said good-bye.

I’m not sure if I can do it. I’m crying at the thought of returning there. Maybe I will feel you there. Maybe I will feel you in your happy spot. You loved going to your training appointments there. You would be so excited every time we got there and raced into the building. Please let me feel you in that space.

That is what I’m going to have to think about when I go there. All the happy memories we had there. When we went there as part of our good-bye tour to Team Lance, you got to go there and they gave you a hamburger. You loved it. Food was always your favorite thing. The times you let Jessey pet you when we would visit. She was one of the only vet people you would let pet you. I know you loved your visits with her.

Visiting Courtney involved food and treats. We spent so much time trying to get you used to wearing a muzzle. I don’t think we ever fully succeeded in getting you to wear your muzzle. But we needed to keep vet staff safe because of your issues with vet staff.

I hope dog heaven has a big patch of green grass, or some soft fluffy clouds, for you to roll around in. I think about that as spring has arrived here and so much is coming back to life. The trees have started to blossom and the grass is growing again. Lili is out sniffing everything she can and I know you would grow impatient with her as she sniffed. But you loved to sniff during this time of year. I would say the two of you were getting snifferpated because of how much the two of you would sniff in the spring.

I love you,

Woman