Unfinished: A Personal Journey of Healing, Self-Discovery and Resilience

I have always loved dogs. As a kid, I wanted a “Lassie” dog and then I wanted a German Shepherd that would be as smart as Rin Tin Tin. But just to have a dog that I could declare as “mine,” was good enough for me.

In my book I write about two of my dogs (Boomer and Casey) that became part of my life during very crucial times. I can never underestimate the important role they played in my day-to-day survival and losing them, both to cancer, was heart wrenching.

In Chapter 45, I pose a question to my readers: Do dogs choose us or do we choose them? Somehow, I think they have an uncanny way of finding us – we just have to be open to the signs that are placed in front of us. Such was the case with our present dog, Copper. (If in doubt, read the account of how she came into our lives!)

Copper is a Siberian Husky with clear blue eyes that seem to look into your very soul. She is incredibly smart and just as stubborn. Any toy that squeaks is embraced and of course she knows them all by name. We are her pack and when one of us is absent, she is not herself until we are re-united.

I want to share with you the very important role that she played in the writing of my memoir. I had no idea that it would take me 5 years to complete. It was an arduous task, re-living all the abuse and trauma that I had endured. From the outset, as soon as I retreated to my office to write, Copper would join me. Under the desk she would go, delightfully using my foot as her headrest.

Some days I would be overcome with emotion, barely able to write more than a paragraph, sometimes only a sentence. Instinctively, in her own unique way, she gave me comfort, knowing when to let me rant and knowing when to rest her head on my knee and in her dog-like way, assure me that it was okay.

Amazingly, she also knew when I had done enough for the day. She would get up, shake herself, put her nose under my arm and fling it upwards. That was my cue to put the pen down and leave it for another time.

If you decide to read “Unfinished,” (I hope you do!) know that I was not alone in my endeavor but had the assistance of my dog or maybe I should say god – simply, dog spelled backwards. If you are privileged enough to have your own, you know exactly what I mean!