My Life Went To The Dogs!
— The Five Angels Without Wings Who Walked Beside Me—
I love, love, love dogs.
Can you tell?
In my last post, I wrote a special tribute for my furry little Angel without wings, Coco, on the first anniversary of her passing.
After I wrote it, something unexpected happened.
My mind drifted to the dogs who came before her—for a moment, I felt guilty.
Had I forgotten them?
Never.
I simply realized that Coco's story could never be told without theirs.
As I began putting a timeline of when they were part of my life, I noticed something I had never seen before.
Each of my dogs entered my life at a very specific season.
Each arrived carrying exactly what I needed at that moment.
Looking back now, I don't believe it was a coincidence.
So yes..
I believe dogs are Angels without wings.
Not because they rescue us from life.
But because they quietly walk beside us through it.
❤️Brandy was the first.
I was thirty years old, pregnant with my first baby. On Mother's Day, during my last trimester, I lost that child.
The grief was unimaginable.
Then, weeks later, a tiny Golden Retriever puppy entered my life.
Brandy was eight weeks old.
She became the bridge between heartbreak and hope.
By the time she was nearly a year old, my son was born.
She remained by my side through the birth of both my children, the rise of my career, and the end of my marriage.
When God finally called Brandy home at twelve years old, I was forty-two.
She had fulfilled her purpose.
She had been my Angel of Hope.
Then came ❤️Princess.
A tiny white Pomeranian with bright black eyes and a heart much larger than her little body.
Princess came to us after her previous owner could no longer care for her.
Those years were financially difficult.
Trusting God, trusting people, trusting that life would somehow work out felt almost impossible.
Yet Princess trusted me completely.
She offered her heart without hesitation.
In loving her, I slowly learned to trust again.
She stayed with us only four short years.
Too soon, we discovered injuries from an accident before she came into our lives had quietly affected her health.
When God called Princess home, I was forty-six.
She left behind faith, trust, and unconditional love.
She had been my Angel of Trust.
Next came ❤️Pikachu.
My fearless little Dachshund-Chihuahua mix (DoxiChi).
My "dog-in-a-bag."
She happily traveled everywhere with me—movies, restaurants, department stores, hotels.
If I was going, she was going.
Pikachu never seemed afraid of anything.
She explored the world with curiosity instead of hesitation.
Without realizing it, she taught me to do the same.
Those became years of enormous change.
A new career.
A new industry.
New responsibilities I never imagined I could handle.
She gave me courage before I even knew I would need it.
For nearly fifteen years, Pikachu remained beside me through my father's passing, career changes, unemployment, countless moves, caring for my aging mother, and the ordinary uncertainties of life.
When she left, she was fifteen years old.
I was sixty-five.
She had been my Angel of Courage.
While Pikachu was still with me, God placed ❤️Kiwi in my life.
A tiny six-pound rescue Yorkie, a big personality in a little body.
She came to me when she was four, and when her family couldn't give her the life she deserved.
She had spent much of her young life confined and was never potty trained.
Yes…
There were accidents.
Many of them.
Kiwi taught me patience in ways no human ever could.
But even more than patience, she taught me forgiveness.
Not once did she carry shame—
She simply tried again, with her enthusiastic wiggle.
I only had four precious years with Kiwi.
Far too few.
God called her home one year later after He had called Pikachu.
Yet during those short years she finally experienced the life every dog deserves—to be safe, spoiled, deeply loved, and completely accepted.
She had been my Angel of Patience and Forgiveness.
And then there was ❤️Coco.
The baby of the family.
A Chihuahua-Mini Pincher mix (Chipin).
She shared her early years with Pikachu and Kiwi.
Pikachu adored her, almost as though Coco were the puppy she never had.
When Kiwi and Pikachu passed away one year after the other, Coco grieved right alongside me.
Then she became my constant companion.
She stayed through my senior years.
She stood beside me through my younger brother's passing...
My breast cancer diagnosis...
My mother's passing...
The milestones that followed...
My seventy-fifth birthday...
And ten years of being cancer-free.
For fourteen years, Coco quietly reminded me to keep moving forward.
When God called her home last year, it was two months before my seventy-seventh birthday—she completed her own beautiful assignment.
She had been my Angel of Perseverance.
Looking back over the timeline of my life, I don’t see five different dogs.
I see loved ones and family.
I see five different seasons—
Hope.
Trust.
Courage.
Patience.
Perseverance.
Each a gift I received exactly when I needed it most.
Each one gift-wrapped in fur.
Together they taught me unconditional love, loyalty, forgiveness, patience, courage, resilience, and grace.
Perhaps those qualities were already somewhere inside me.
But sometimes we humans need reminding.
Dogs never forget.
They don't hide behind pride.
They don't judge.
They don't hold grudges.
They don't complicate love.
They simply live it.
Maybe that's why they become such extraordinary teachers—
And I—a better human being.
So today, I thank my five Angels without wings.
Brandy...
My Angel of Hope.
Princess...
My Angel of Trust.
Pikachu...
My Angel of Courage.
Kiwi...
My Angel of Patience and Forgiveness.
Coco...
My Angel of Perseverance.
Together, you filled my life with unwavering loyalty, unconditional love, and companionship beyond measure.
You left paw prints on my floor...
But even deeper ones on my heart.
You will forever be part of my story.
And for that—
Thank you, my Angels, without wings.❤️
Forever in my heart.❤️
—
If one of your own Angels without wings came to mind while reading this story, I'd love to know their name.
Let's remember them together. ❤️🐾