Titan's Story

TITAN

Some of us are not parents to human children but to furry children. When I met my husband he had a beautiful German Sheppard named Titan. Titan was the sweetest and largest dog I had ever seen. I used to get mad about how much he shed. My husband would say "he's shedding his winter coat" or "he's shedding his summer coat". I always thought he was making up stories because he was always shedding. But he was my husband's "son" and the love Chris had for him was what made me fall in love with him.

3 years ago he passed away and it was one of the hardest days of our lives. It wasn't about losing our pet... it wasn't about losing an animal.. it was about losing part of our family. I could swear a part of all of us died with him that day. I remember how hard it was to come home after work for the first few months after he was gone because he always greeted me at my truck. The first time he wasn't there I cried in my truck for half an hour. We have kept so many of his things so we do not forget about him and to keep him still around. His blanket, his toys and his water and food bowls are still in the house and sit unused while we go on with our day to day.

This past week we had to throw out his blanket and it was like losing him all over again. I share this story, because it has made me realize how we all grieve in different ways and grief doesn't heal with time. We just learn to cope. Titan was our family. He was our protector and our teddy bear. He was our sounding board when we needed to vent or complain and he taught us about unconditional love. He would cry with you when you needed him to and was right there when you were scared or sick. My favorite memory is his nightly outing and playing with Chris. Chris would jump at him and Titan would feign being scared and come and run to me and whimper so daddy would get scolded. I swear he would smile when I would feign a lecture at Chris.

So while we miss him and wish he was still here, the value he added to our lives will never dwindle. His gentle soul has taught us to love without judgment and to love with all that we are. Since his passing we have opened our home to two kittens and our love continues to heal and grow as a family.

Interested in adopting a furry child?

Tails of Courage