no matter how many times we reassure ourselves that it was the right thing to do. that it’s selfish to keep her given our imminent move from this sold house. that we know we can’t manage the logistics of travelling with over two hundred pounds of canine companions and a wee one in tow; it’s still an impossibly difficult decision to make. if your a “dog person”, giving up a dog is tantamount to losing a member of the family. and today we lost a truly beloved member of ours. but in the end, no matter how heart breaking it was to do, it was the right decision.

sometimes i think animals teach us more about loss than loving.

she can’t possibly be going to a better home, which was what finally helped us make the decision. her new owner “delivered” her when she was born and quite likely loves berners as much as we do. indeed, she also happens to care for cadence’s mom and half-sister. so, in a sense, she’s returning to her family.

i’m sure that after a few lazy afternoons playing with her sibling and mamma in her new spacious yard, she might even forget the special moments that she shared with us and odin.

i know we won’t.

goodbye cadence.

as much as we’ll miss cadence, mauja will miss her more.

alaskan malamutes are pack dogs. even moreso than other breeds, malamutes are very sensitive to sudden disruptions in the pack hierarchy. after we had to put his previous buddy “to sleep” due to severe epilepsy, mauja was so distraught that he’d howl and moan so loudly that neighbors a half a block away would complain that he was frightening their children. a vet told us that he was simply doing the the only thing he could do – call out very loudly in the hope that his lost friend would hear him and return to the pack.

now that she’s gone, he’s pacing and nervous and certainly knows that it’s odd that miss cadence isn’t nearby. we’ll work hard to help him make the transition to a life without her; hopefully it works, because there’s nothing quite so sorrowful as a very vocal, sad malamute.