I Celebrate All That My Soulmate and Companion Taught Me
Reciprocal Nature prompt response for March: Companion animals.
The beginning of our life together
My husky, Chan Teh, no longer lives on this earth. But her spirit lives in my memory forever. I adopted her as a rescue husky. She was abandoned outside a shelter. No one knows her past history. I found her on the Internet through a rescue husky site. I wanted a black and white, two year old female. I didn’t want to deal with a puppy.
She was approximately two years old. She drooled in the back of my SUV when I brought her home. I had to lift her into the back of my car. I don’t believe she had ever ridden in one before. She was untrained, timid and exhibited little experience with the outside world. After a trial weekend together, I decided to adopt her anyway.
Her motion sickness in a vehicle improved, but it was never her favorite activity. When I started walking with her, she shied at any noise she heard. Her ribs were showing. She gobbled any food I put in her bowl. She moved towards my dinner plate our first evening together.
My intial reaction was “Whoa! If we’re going to get along, you need to learn the rules.”
I enrolled her in obedience school. She soon adjusted to traffic noises, bikes and skateboards on walks. I socialized her with people. She was hesitant and wary around men. Was her former owner a man who mistreated her? It’s a challenge to adopt a rescue because you don’t know the history.
With consistent love and praise the bond between us deepened.
Towards the end of her life, her worldly experience had expanded greatly. Chan Teh’s best moments were hikes on mountain trails in the North Cascades. She climbed many peaks. Loved boulder hopping. And enjoyed leaping over deadfall in our path. She crossed fallen logs over rushing streams with boldness.
In harness she pulled me while skijoring in winter. She responded to sled dog commands. She romped on snow fields and explored wildflower meadows. She visited every State and many National Parks. She loved people, babies and kids.
She had the sweetest disposition I’ve ever seen.
Wherever we roamed she drew a crowd, “Oh, what a beautiful dog!” I heard that so many times in our travels. As long as we were together, she adjusted to any new experience.
She taught me how to live
- Seek peace and harmony over discord
- Be curious and marvel at this wonderful world
- Comfort others when they are sad
- Exude happiness and joy
- Display loyalty and faithfulness
- Possess a playful nature
- Protect and forgive one another
- Live fully in the present moment
- Give unconditional love
- Be eager to please
Aren’t these the very qualities we should be living by?
This is written in response to editor Sahil Patel’s prompt of “Companion Animals”. He asked us to relate “how an animal inspired you to live your life.”
Hope you enjoy reading the following posts.
Dr. Fatima Imam has written a delightful post about her cat from its perspective.
Mia Verita has taken some fabulous photos of the flowers in her garden that show how quickly time passes.
