Ella’s Story: Rescue-to-Oahu

Dog Love

Humans who love dogs can be tagged as a different breed.
They stand at the cusp of an ocean.
Reach inward and open their hearts.
Allow the waves to come, to crash, aware that the tide will recede.
The sun will set sooner.
Night will come.
But when it does, stars will shine down in a million pieces, unleashing sparkling remnants of a journey well-lived.
Once upon a dog, I gave my heart and my soul grew richer for it.

—Angie Weiland-Crosby

Much sooner than we expected (or wanted), our sun has set, night has come, and our Ella is gone. I don’t know what more to say about Ella than what these pictures portray. What I’ve been repeating over and over in notifications to friends is that she passed peacefully yesterday in the shade of her favorite palm tree in her back yard, attended by a wonderfully compassionate vet from Arms of Aloha, me and Andrew via FaceTime. That we take some consolation in knowing we created a fabulous “rescue-to-Oahu” life story for her. How much she enriched our lives in so many ways.

What’s missing is how much I’m realizing I depended upon her companionship, especially these past few years when I’ve been somewhat isolated here in Hawai’i. She has been a constant presence in my existence, and I miss that very much.

What I hope to be able to do now is seek some solace in daily life activities to somewhat compensate for the constant companion that was Ella. This will not be easy, and will take some time. Mahalo to my friends and family for all their understanding, support and aloha. And muchos mahalos and all my love and aloha to Ella for a decade of devotion, and for adding so much to our lives.