And what I dreamed of as a child
Airplanes! When I was a kid, I used to dream of planes and flying because it was unachievable and way out of my family’s financial means living behind the Iron Curtain of Eastern Europe. I remember dreaming of flying only to wake up disappointed in the darkness of my room.
When I was about 8 years old, my desire to fly was the cause of a small family drama. During the summer holidays, we spent time with my grandparents. I remember one day running away, hopping on the streetcar to the train station with the plan to take a bus to the airport! Imagine my poor grandmother catching up with me at the bus station, terrified but relieved. I obviously had a mind of my own even as a kid 😇. I don't know what I was thinking...🤩
I guess I just wanted to fly! 🛫
Forty years later, I can fly anywhere I want, but being in the cabin of an aircraft has never stopped being special. I often remember how different life was then and how ordinary the miracle of flying has become for many of us. Many people dislike flying but when I am on a plane, to me, the cabin is a sanctuary. I feel like I am carried on the wings of my childhood dreams.
The secluded airplane cabin gives me the opportunity to be introspective and also remember Skai. It has been two years since I flew from Norway to say my final goodbye to Skai. You will understand when I say that losing Skai broke my heart but it also brought me closer to you, my work and desire to make a difference in how much time you and others have with your dogs.
Why a dog-less life sucks!
Dogs bring out the best of us; they make our hearts sing, they help us to feel safe, they give us the space to be ourselves, real and vulnerable.
Luckily, my dog-less time is coming to a close and hopefully, within the next few months, we will have a new canine friend! Perhaps you have been wondering why I have waited so long. Why didn’t we get a dog right away?
I have no answer other than it felt like the right thing to do. In some way, it was good to live without a dog for a while to come to an irreversible conclusion that a DOG-LESS LIFE SUCKS!
It's not that life hasn't been good, interesting, challenging and exciting without a dog. But “something” was definitely missing. The experience could be compared to a solar eclipse I witnessed some time ago. It gets colder, the light is dimmer and the rhythm of the day is harder to follow. We spend less time getting out in nature, there are fewer conversations and encounters with random people that Skai was so good at connecting with.
To be honest, I was not planning to write on this topic today, yet, it feels right. Perhaps it is because, in the past few weeks, I have interviewed two very interesting dog lovers who completely understand how much positive energy dogs bring to our lives.
The first interview was with Judith Catherine Lam, whose dog, a Labrador Retriever named Churchill, passed away at the unbelievable age of 23 years! Perhaps it was no coincidence we met only two days after her dog passed away (I can’t wait to have the video ready for you to watch!).
The second interview was with Greg Mahle of Rescue Road Trips, who has spent the past 13 years driving 4,200 miles round trip every couple of weeks rescuing dogs in the Southern United States. To date, he has saved over 50,000 dogs from high kill shelters where perfectly healthy dogs are euthanized because they were not loved enough.
The last interview we are now preparing is with a colleague, Dr. Radica Raj, who sold her conventional emergency clinic and went holistic.
I had not really planned to record interviews with Judith, Greg and Dr. Raj, as I am no Oprah and am quite camera shy! But there are so many inspiring dog lovers and I realized that it would be a shame not to share their stories with you.
If you are reading this on my blog and you have not yet subscribed to our community, join us here so you don't miss the above-mentioned interviews when they are available (in the next few weeks).
Also, if you are a subscriber, perhaps you know someone who you care about and want to share this with them.
I also hope that these three stories may inspire people who are not dog owners and who feel there is something missing in their lives. Perhaps that "something" is the desire to love and care for another soul.
© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM
