I miss him. I miss Ponce. Ponce was my golden retriever that passed away last August. For those of you that knew Ponce, you knew he was one of those once in a lifetime type of pets. Everyone loves their pets, but Ponce was different.
Ponce was the little guy in the litter that had a genetic eye issue, and the breeder was going to give him away for free under the condition the new owner had his eye fixed. At the time I was working at a vet hospital, so I knew I could get the procedure done at discount. So, along with his brother Balboa, we headed home from the breeder, and started a wonderful, and fulfilling 11 year journey.
Ponce blossomed into a lovely little soul. Gentle, cuddly, loving, and most of all joyful are all adjectives he lived by. First to greet me at the door, first to kiss me, and first to get his hug in the morning, that was Ponce. To the outsider he was the passive one, but some of us knew that when the time came, he would fiercely protect me and Balboa. But such a loving soul he had, that he would do so without even harming another. He was the epitome of quiet confidence.
Everyone says that time heals. And yes, I have to agree. It was extremely difficult coming home to only 4 paws scrambling on the wood floor, and not 8. My heart ached, I cried endlessly, and the house felt empty. Balboa and I spent many hours just laying on the floor next to each other, feeling lost. As time passed, the pain faded, but that pain recently arose and I have been thinking about Ponce quite a bit. I have removed some of his portraits off my walls to make room for my residential studio displays, and now I can see his smiling face as I sit here in my office.
In memory of Ponce, I recently ordered an heirloom photo bracelet and it just came in the mail. I have worn it every day since in memory of my little old man with the glowing spirit. I miss you and love you my dear Ponce. You are forever with me.
