Beyond the Leash: How Two Dogs Taught Me About Life, Love, and Healing
Lessons in Love and Grief from My Canine Companions, Becks and Sega
We’ve all heard the saying, “Dogs are your best friends.”
I used to think that was a bit of a cliché.
After all, dogs aren’t people. They don’t speak, rationalize, or understand our emotional complexities.
Or so I thought.
But in the last four months, my experiences have turned that belief on its head.
Four months ago, our chocolate Labrador, Sega, started to change.
Unlike her usual self, a dog who adored food, she suddenly lost interest in it.
Sega (short for Segafredo, the Italian coffee brand my husband and I loved) has always been the epitome of joy.
She was mischievous, playful, spontaneous, and social - everything you could hope for in a dog and, honestly, things I sometimes struggled to be as a person.
In truth, Sega was my best friend.
There’s a misconception that mental health professionals like myself have it all figured out and “practice what we teach in sessions.” And for the most part, that’s true.
But many of us, including myself, battle with mental health chall…