What My Greyhound Taught Me About Love, Aging, and Letting Go

Kathleen Naomi
Oct 17, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Nov 13

I thought I was caring for my aging greyhound during the pandemic… but she was the one quietly teaching me how to live.

Asha is my 14-year-old greyhound, somehow creeping toward 15 with the grace of a little old lady in pearls and the grit of a weathered marathoner. Her steep health decline arrived at the same time as two things I never saw coming: a global pandemic, and the sudden passing of our other greyhound, Kai, who was 13.

You never know how your beloved fur babies will age, or how they’ll leave this world. And you never know what they’ll teach you while you’re preparing yourself for the inevitable goodbye.

When Kai passed on January 20, 2020, Todd and I were shattered. It was unexpected, and in hindsight, mercifully quick. We still miss his joyful boyish energy every single day. I talk to him in my meditations, trusting he’s out there with his angel wings on, nudging Asha through her challenges. Todd wears Kai’s name tag over his heart. We both grieved harder than we ever imagined.

And then… it was just us and Asha.

A slow goodbye can be its own kind of heartbreak — and its own kind of blessing.

Five Lessons From Asha (2020)

1. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE — INCLUDING WORKING FROM HOME

I never thought I could work from home, so I never tried. But Asha changed the plan.

Her back legs weakened. Walks stopped. Car rides to work stopped. Her world shrank, and so mine shifted. I worked at home so I could be close to her. I arranged my life around the rhythm of her breathing, her naps, her needs.

And it was possible. Beautifully, surprisingly possible.

2. WE HAVE MORE STRENGTH THAN WE KNOW

These 9 months have taught me patience and strength I didn’t know I had.

I’ve cleaned more pee, poop, and vomit than in my entire life. We give her subcutaneous fluids every other day. I make special meals. I wake up 1–3 times a night with her.

I never had children — my fur babies have always been my children — and I never saw myself as a nurturing person. Turns out… I’m a warrior when someone I love needs me.

3. TREASURE AND ACCEPT EACH STAGE OF LIFE

There are seasons in every life. Todd and I feel it in our own bodies, and we see it in Asha’s.

She can’t run 40 miles an hour anymore. She can barely stand at times. She doesn’t greet us at the door. But her love hasn’t dimmed. Her soul hasn’t aged.

Every once in a while, a spark flashes in her eyes — a glimpse of her goofy, mischievous younger self — and she’ll try to pounce or play. Those tiny moments are worth the world.

4. ENJOY EACH MOMENT, EVEN THE HARD ONES

Decline doesn’t mean she’s ready to go.

As an adult I’ve had four animals: two cats who lived to 16½ and 19, then Kai, then Asha. Every goodbye was different, but in every case… when the time came, I knew.

With Asha, we’ve had nine months of ups and downs. I’ve cried so many times thinking it was her last day — and then she bounces back with miracle-level resilience.

So now I savor each moment.

Not the future. Not the fear. Just now.

5. SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO GLAMP

Asha started struggling with the small steps to the master bedroom… so we moved into the guest room. Then she struggled with those steps too… so we moved the guest bed into the living room.

We’re currently glamping in our own house — essentially living in a studio apartment even though we have three bedrooms.

And honestly? We call it an adventure.

You do what love asks of you.

Thank you, Asha

Thank you for teaching me about resilience, devotion, aging with grace, and loving without conditions.

Thank you for the lessons I never knew I needed in a year I never saw coming.

I’m forever grateful for your love, your wisdom, and your presence.

What life lessons have your fur babies taught you?

Find your inner movie star, even in the tough moments.

xo Kathleen Naomi

My character Larleen shares what she learned from her dog....