Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Well, it’s been over a month now since we lost our precious dog, Sally. It was about a year and a half since we became a two-dog family. We got a second dog so that Sally would have a companion as she navigated her senior years.
Our intentions were genuine, but I’m not sure that Sally was completely on board with this concept. She was used to being the center of attention, and I’m not so sure she bought the idea that this new addition was for her. Sally was a smart dog, and she probably figured out that I was getting the other dog because Sally was getting old and I wanted to have PeeWee with us when Sally crossed the rainbow bridge.
We originally named her KayDee, but we started calling her PeeWee and that name stuck. We finally notified the Vet of the name change since we hadn’t called her KayDee for over a year.
Sally came to tolerate PeeWee (PW), and we were never sure whether she loved her as much as we hoped, or just pretended not to love her but really did. I like to think Sally appreciated PW at least. But PW LOVED Sally, of that there was no doubt. I think she is finally realizing that Sally is not coming back.
I’m sure, given her history, she was probably used to doggie friends leaving and never being seen again. It wasn’t always that they died. PW was a breeder dog and must have been separated from many a puppy.
PeeWee gives us looks that we are not sure we understand. She lets us know when she has to go outside, and she stares us down when she’s hungry. But frequently, she gives us a questioning stare that we cannot answer. I think she wants to know where Sally is.
Back in 2018, a song really grabbed my attention. It was written by Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager and sung by Curtis. It was referred to as “I want my dog to live longer,” but I think the real title was “The Greatest Wish.” If you are a dog lover and not familiar with this song, I strongly recommend that you pull it up on YouTube. If you remember the song but haven’t heard it in a while, you might want to revisit it again. I’m not going to write down the lyrics to the whole song, but I would like to tell you a couple of the verses in the song that will grab your attention (it certainly did mine).
[verse 2] I’d like to feel… first Love again. Be twenty years younger. But the greatest wish… I want to come true. I want my dog to live longer.
[verse 5] Cause God’s got a reason… for everything. And in the Lord, I trust. But this ain’t right… God needs to see the light. Cause Dogs don’t live long enough.
[verse 6] He cheers me up… oh when I’m sad. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. And I don’t care where his nose has been. I let him lick my face again and again.
[verse 7] His love is… unconditional. And that just makes me stronger. So the greatest wish… I want to come true. I want my dog to live longer.
I love music, and I have many favorite songs, but this simple song reaches down into my heart and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I am so glad that we adopted PeeWee when we did because I needed her when I had to say goodbye to Sally. Losing a dog is just as traumatic as losing any other loved one. They fill your heart and your world with love far deeper than most people can. It’s so sad that there can be so many dogs in shelters looking for someone to love. Maybe God wants us to experience more than one dog, and there are way too many dogs that need to be adopted. Nevertheless, I agree with Curtis Salgado: “I want my dogs to live longer…”
