The Best Therapy for Losing a Pet? Borrow One!

On Memorial Day, Tanya, Ella, Sophia and I drove up the Poudre Canyon about 30 minutes from our home in Fort Collins, Colorado, to the winding and always enjoyable Greyrock trail. We brought with us a box containing the cremated remains of our dog, Scooby Doo, who passed away in March. We intended to release him back into nature, where he belonged, one final time.

Greyrock was one of his favorites. He would take off after rabbits and whatever else he smelled in the bushes and trees. He'd lap up water in the various streams and tributaries. He always came back when I called him. He was the perfect hiking buddy.

The day began warm and pleasant with a bit of cloud cover. I had been feeling a bit off from the time I woke up. When we parked at the trailhead, I finally realized that Scooby Doo had been weighing on my mind all morning, and I hadn't even known it.

I remained reserved as we hiked up about a mile to a spot with a bench, overlooking the pine-covered valley and green meadows, lush from recent rains. The bench was located near the confluence of Greyrock's Meadows and Summit trails, overlooking an open grassy area that would be perfect for our goal. We planned on distributing Scooby's remains to nourish the existing vegetation, and let the circle of life work its magic.

We took turns saying our final goodbyes. Tanya was sanguine about the whole experience; she'd been through something like this before. Ella, Sophia and I had not, so we had a rougher time, each in our own way.

My turn came. I lost it.

Scooby was my first dog. He'll always be my first dog.

We took turns releasing Scooby's ashes into the wild. We cried and remembered and sat and hugged. And through it all, I think, we celebrated. Our final tribute was sad, emotional, cathartic, inspiring for all of us and certainly an experience we'll never forget.

Sophia and Tanya at Greyrock

As a bit of therapy to recover from our loss, we've taken to "borrowing" dogs for a few days at a time. We take every opportunity to pet dogs we see on the street and let them lick our faces. On Memorial Day weekend, before our hike final hike with Scooby, our friend Tara let us take care of her Golden retriever Sally.

Sophia and Ella loving Sally

It was soothing to be greeted by an emphatic tail-wagging, or licked in the face, or be able to pet soft fur. We played ball and tug of war. Sophia even taught Sally how to give a high five. We took her for walks around the neighborhood and picked up poop. It's a thrill I never thought I'd miss.

We're dogless now and will stay that way for a while; it's still too soon. But at least our boy is out where he belongs. We're still a bit sad, but I'm sure he's happy.