Oscar - Gone But Never Forgotten

  “If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.”
                              David Ellsworth from The Serenity of Selfism                            

Each year on this day, June 19, we mark the passing of our beloved Oscar who left us six years ago.
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While all dogs are special, Oscar was truly one of a kind. He was not my first rescue dog but he was my first shelter dog.  I once came across this quote and it certainly applies to Oscar:

"Shelter dogs aren't broken, they've simply experienced more life than other dogs. If they were human, we would call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tell and stories to write, the ones dealt a bad hand who responded with courage. Don't pity a shelter dog. Adopt one. And be proud to have their greatness by your side." -dogsrule.com

On August 1, 1998, we went to the shelter with no plans to take a dog home but, call it karma, call it fate, call it whatever you’d like – Oscar had been surrendered just hours before we arrived and, that day he chose us to be his family.

He was only eight months old but we were his third home. Because he was a shelter dog, we never knew why no one seemed to want him - he really was the perfect dog. Yes, he was strong and nobody had bothered to train him but he was very smart and did not have a mean bone in his body. All he needed was a chance.

He loved to run, play snow football and pull sleds. He became the kids’ sports team mascot – we were even told that until Oscar was at a game, something seemed to be missing and when he arrived everything seemed right again. He learned many things including how to sing for car rides, how to bring his empty yogurt cup to the trash when he was finished and how to use “the password” to enter the house after his walks.
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Not only did Oscar learn but he was also a great teacher. Among his many lessons, he showed us how to live each day with unbridled joy, how to appreciate the little things and how to love with our whole hearts.

In his old age, he welcomed an unwanted bunny and another shelter dog who was fearful and shy and he became their friends. Even when he was no longer able to walk he continued to teach. It was then that he taught us how to be brave, to overcome obstacles and not let life’s challenges get you down. And when it was time to let him go, he let us know that he was okay with it.
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I honestly believe that Oscar would not have wanted us to grieve for him. He was ready to move on and I know that wherever he is now, he is watching over us and knows he has not been forgotten by those who loved him here on earth. And while we can no longer see him, we still feel him in our hearts and his memory will live on with us always.