LOVE LESSONS – FROM MY DOG

By Wednesday, October 26, 2016 25 Permalink

The words from this quote are very meaningful to me…

lessons-from-dogsBECAUSE –

For quite sometime I was guilty of constantly comparing Jaxson to Leo. He looked like him, walked like him, and was rapidly growing bigger than Harley – #likehim

Then one day, things changed. He stopped growing! His pawsonality became his own and the similarities that I imagined were no longer there.

That was the moment I realized just how much I adored this dog.

Jaxson could never replace Leo, but Leo has definitely taught me how to make room for Jaxson.

My Leo comparisons have stopped, and my love for this little whirring dervish named Jaxson has grown beyond measure 🙂

MAKE TODAY SO AWESOME – YESTERDAY GETS JEALOUS ❤️

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This is our contribution in the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

25 Comments
  • Heather Reid
    October 26, 2016

    So that just made me cry, but it is so true. My mom just got a new Great Dane and wants so badly to compare it to her last one. I have to share this post!

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      Hi Heather – didn’t mean to make you cry, and please share it with your mom. Thanks so much for reading, please come back soon!

  • Emma
    October 26, 2016

    You are so right. None of us are the same, even within the same breed. Each of us has our own things we do and our own spots in our human’s heart. We may have similarities, or things we learned to do like a previous dog, but we are all our own dog. Awesome post.

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      You’re so right – but sometimes our hearts outsmart our brains and we convince ourselves to believe what we know isn’t true. But thank the doodle, dogs like Katie and Leo taught us true love that we’ve been able to pass along to Madison and Jaxson. Take care Emma – hugs to your mom!

  • Sand Spring Chesapeakes
    October 26, 2016

    Awe, you are so right. They never replace a lost loved one, they make more memories in your heart.

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      PAWhaps it’s a defense mechanism that we humans use to help us make that final transition of letting go and falling love again.

  • Christine Caplan
    October 26, 2016

    This is so true – When we have brought home new members of the pack it’s hard not to make that comparison… and when one dog is more challenging than others, it’s easy to compare! Guilty…. lol!

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      They certainly do leave their mark on us don’t they?

  • Rachele Baker, DVM
    October 26, 2016

    What a wonderful journey of love you have traveled with Jaxson, Cathy. Thank you for sharing.

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      Thank YOU Rachele for always reading our stories. We love our friends…

  • Kari
    October 26, 2016

    Look at the size of that noggin! I feel the same way about Isis. We’ve now had our Leo and Mia longer than we had her. But she left such a mark on us!

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      HA! Yes Kari – Jax does have a large head.

  • Jan K
    October 26, 2016

    I love that quote too, and your words are beautiful as well. Each dog is their own dog, but I still like when they share little traits with past dogs that bring happy memories back. Our beagle Kobi used to hate when you pulled on his ears, even just a tiny bit. Now when Luke does that too, it just gives us a sweet little reminder of Kobi.
    Just to clarify: We don’t go around pulling on our dogs’ ears! This is just like if you were patting their ears in passing, gently caressing with a little pull at the end – they both had/have very sensitive ears! 🙂

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      Thank you JanK. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I now can no longer feel guilty comparing the two. I’ve finally been able to let it go, and see Jax for himself. PS – I know you don’t go pulling on dog ears 🙂 and I do the same thing to Jaxson on occasion. Take care my friend.

  • Robin
    October 26, 2016

    This quote rings true with me too. I understand exactly what you are saying. I’ve compared Dexter to Cinco many times. There are some similarities, but many differences. Dexter is a wonderful guy, all his own kitty. I’m glad that Jaxson has grown into his own dog too. You’ll never get back what you lost, but you’ve gained something new and equally amazing.

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 26, 2016

      It’s hard Robin, I don’t even know when/how it started, but I am happier now that it’s stopped. Now all I do is watch Jaxson’s antics and smile at the thought of he and Leo playing together. They would have worn each other out! Take care my friend.

  • M. K. Clinton
    October 26, 2016

    I think that is why I always have changed breeds after I lost a dog.I always felt as if I’d had the best of that particular breed. The exception was when we four German Shepherds at one time. ☺ That being said, I cannot imagine my life without a Basset Hound. ♥

  • Athena
    October 27, 2016

    What a sweet post!

    Purrs xx
    Athena and Marie

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 31, 2016

      Thanks so much Athena!

  • Monika & Sam
    October 27, 2016

    It’s hard not to compare subsequent pups, but good on you that those days are behind you. Your last sentence is such great advice…MAKE TODAY SO AWESOME – YESTERDAY GETS JEALOUS
    🙂

    • Cathy Bennett
      October 31, 2016

      Monika, I try really hard to live by those words. They always seem to make me smile, and feel a little spring in my steps as I start my day 🙂

  • Jackie Bouchard
    October 27, 2016

    Oh, love this!

    I must admit, this is why we didn’t get another beagle when our beloved Bailey died. I knew we’d be comparing – and I worried the new beagle would come up short! Of course, we were terribly biased, but Bailey was the prettiest, smartest, funniest beagle ever! That’s a lot for the new kid to live up to. 🙂

    But adopting a new dog definitely helped expand our hearts and brought the smiles back!

  • Lindsay
    October 27, 2016

    This is beautiful Cathy. I loved reading this.

    xoxo

  • JeanneP of bichonpawz
    October 28, 2016

    Very important lesson…we all have to remember not to compare…each and every one has their own personality!

  • Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom
    October 30, 2016

    I love that quote too! I remember one time when I turned to our vet for advice on dealing with Ducky’s Tasmanian Devil-like personality, he said to me: “There’s nothing wrong with Ducky. She’s a perfectly normal puppy. Your problem is that you’ve forgotten how crazy Callie and Shadow were at Ducky’s age.” And he was 100% right. The Golden Girls had mellowed out over the seven years before we got Ducky and made our lives very easy and smooth. Ducky came along and turned us all upside down and sideways. And I wouldn’t change anything about her. Shadow would probably be happier if Ducky wasn’t so snarky at times, but they do love each other.