A Tribute To Shasta

Yesterday wasn't what I'd consider the best day of my life. In fact, I ended up crying so hard my head nearly exploded. I had a severe headache up until I finally took painkiller this evening.

We received a phone call from a neighbor who explained that he shot our dog. Apparently the jerk assumed it was another neighbor's dog--one who had been dragging garbage around their yard--and he grabbed his shotgun and killed my poor Shasta without making sure it was the same dog. He didn't even offer to compensate...wasn't even truly sorry...just said, "Gee, sorry, but he shouldn't have been in my yard." Not that money or anything would have helped--another dog won't replace Shasta easily...but he didn't even care. Shasta had followed my younger brother up when he went to visit the jerk's son. Shasta never meant any harm...

When I received the news, I just burst into tears. I don't cry too often--but that news hurt. I love dogs. LOVE them. I've had four--each has died; but I keep replacing them, hoping this one will be different...Heh. Maybe I should stop. Except I can't. I LOVE dogs. But replacing Shasta...that will be difficult. I'm going to have trouble dealing with our neighbor for a while, I'm sad to say...

Shasta was half German Shepherd, half Samoyed. A huge, blond dog, he liked to run ahead of my car whenever I came home, pretending he was leading a sled. He barked whenever an intruder came, greeted everyone cheerily (except the rare people he just didn't like) and had the prettiest brown-puppy-dog eyes ever.

I will miss him so terribly.

It's strange how painful, how hollow it can feel when a beloved pet has died. And this...feels like murder. I'm coping okay-- after all, he's not in pain now. He's had a good burial. But...I will miss him.

I love you, Shasta.
See you on the Other Side.