Sorry long read.
Today marks my 8th day sober. And this week is going to be horrible and a blessing all wrapped up with its own highs and extreme lows. I am 47 years old and I just retired from the fire department after right at my 29th year. I had had enough of death and destruction. For the past probably 5 years I have more or less lived in a bottle. I have relied on it to calm my mind, to turn off the constant rinse and repeat in my head. To sleep, to socialize, to be in a crowded room. There are things I struggle with everyday and whiskey just hushed everything. But it also hushed my marriage and my family enough rhat was like i just unplugged myself resigned to just follow this rabbit hole to the end. I almost lost it all. Thank God and my wife that I am still here. This week is going to especially hard because my family is going to have to say goodbye to out family pet. But she is more than just that. She is my best friend and has been my working partner for the last 10 years. Aspen is a Golden Retriever that God gave me for a special purpose. She has spent her entire life on this earth serving others. We have been on countless deployments and cases to do the part of search and rescue thats not even in the name of it. She did the recovery. I say she because I just drove here there and followed her around like her road manager. God gave here a true gift and placed her in my care to facilitate it. So many people have a little closure because of her nose. She also rode the fire truck every shift that I did And brought so much love to the schools and invthe public that got to love on her. One of the greatest gifts God gave me and her was on our last call out we made. Not even sure she was up to it. We received a call out about a possible self unaliving deep in the woods. And had been there for 4 days. The local k9 units and law enforcement unable to locate they called Spen. It was pouring rain and as thick of woods you could have imagined. But i cut her loose and for a dog that always worked where i was always in her direct line of sight, she took off like a fur missile. Long story short after me trying to keep up with her for about 2 miles. She finally ran ahead a little and lrd me to a very cold, vert cut up, yet very alive young lady who had let some bad choices lead her out there where she had been lost for 4 days. I understood that God had rewarded her with ths and it was time for her to rest. After 57 official call outs from Multiple departments. So many cold cases, homicide cases and drownings we worked. There are some she brought closer to some that are serving life sentences because of her, some we never could find and at lest one still walking this earth because of God and a dogs nose. This is going to be tough. Please say a little prayer of peace for her and me and my family. We don’t deserve dogs.
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Wow. Amazing
for you and the family. Amazing. Stay strong. 