It's Hard Watching Them Grow Old

When I opened Atlanta Dogworks in 1996, we were bright-eyed and full of hope. With a lot of hard work and some luck, all of our dreams have been fulfilled. But, one of the unforeseen bits of fall-out from our abundantly successful dog boarding business is that many of the dogs who became like family to us when we first opened are now growing old and passing away. I never anticipated this but it is now a weekly, if not daily, occurrence to get a phone call with sad news. It's hard enough losing one of our own but hearing the despair and sadness in our clients voices is heartbreaking. Despite having gone through this experience with my own dogs many times now, my skin has not gotten any thicker and the dull ache of losing a loved one is no easier to bear. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to anyone who has lost a best friend, four-legged and furry or otherwise. This post is in memory of Ansley Kelly and all the other dogs that have made caring for other people's pets such a pleasure. We love them all!