Spirit Dogs: Heroes In Heaven

Josie’s pain was too great, and she had lost most of her dignity. Susan Kelleher helped hold her fourteen-year-old retriever as the long-time companion nuzzled into her son Alex’s lap, and the vet administered the injection. Alex and his mum wept for an hour, and then they took Josie to the woods to leave her in peace. Susan Kelleher knows what it is to lose the undemanding friend of a lifetime. With the understanding of this experience and the knowledge of so many others, she presents us with a wonderfully lyrical look at the death of a family pet. She has given us the very real sense of the transition that takes us and our companions to a place and time beyond the moment of passing to offer us the promise of peace, acceptance, and tranquillity. Susan’s is a story of the sadness of loss and the poignant acceptance of the peace that comes with the knowledge that such a loss leads us to another plain of reality. In this short, real celebration of life, Susan affirms the richness of the lives we live with our pets and shows us the rewards that remain for those of us who have the courage to look beyond the loss and see the promise of life. Susan sings a song of peace and the acceptance that comes with passing.