BROKEN HEARTS CAN HEAL AFTER LOSING A SPECIAL PET

A heartfelt narration of loss and life thereafter

- Cindy Karch

HE ENDED UP WITH THE NICK NAME, "JEALOUS LOVER" BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO HUG ME, NOT EVEN MY HUSBAND, OR HARLY OUR GSD.

Coming to terms with loss is never easy or linear, but rather a complex and personal process that requires time, support, and courage and that friendship, imagination, and faith can help one overcome grief and find meaning and hope in life.

Following is the abridged recount of Cindy Karch's loss and life threafter (as narrated to BuddyLife).

This is my story about my soulmate German shepherd named, Jax. My husband and I already had a female shepherd named Harly. She was a year old when we decided to get a second dog.

They say dogs pick their favorite person and it appeared that our girl favored my husband just a wee bit more over me. Probably because she knew he was always in severe pain following a car accident we were in together. Our girl was always by his side, so I was hoping Jax would pick me to shadow and be by my side.

To our surprise, he was only interested in Harly. She had started mothering him the minute we brought him home. She groomed his face and ears several times a day. He thought she was his mother. Subsequently he accepted me and ended up with the nick name, "jealous lover" because he would not allow anyone to hug me, not even my husband or Harly. He would step in between to break it up. Jax now wanted me all to himself, and I secretly liked it that way.

Jax was my protector, my shadow, my howling partner, my exercise buddy, my therapist, and my best friend. He became the dog that never left my side.

We would gaze into each other's eyes and he could see right into my soul. I called him my soulmate and my husband was okay with that, as he knew how deeply I could love.