2019-08-01_Mindful

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Missing Is the

Hardest Part

When my beloved Max

died, Zoe did not celebrate

with her prancing happy

dance. In fact, she seemed

bereft. With the entire

house now open to her (no

more gates), she hardly

knew what to do with her

freedom. She’d approach

Max’s leash, still hanging at

the back door, as if it were

an apparition. It smells

like Max, so why is Max

not here? I imagined her

wondering. As I watched

her approach, retreat, and

sniff, I was certain she was

processing her own loss,

and I actually felt genuine

sympathy for her. In the

months that followed, I

found my anger with her

dissolving into what I imag-

ined was our shared grief at

losing Max.

Was it possible I was

beginning to accept Zoe for

who she was?

Yes, I’d started to realize

that Zoe, like her “masters,”

was a product of nature

and nurture, a prisoner of

both her gene pool and her

environment. Dog experts

have consistently noted the

breed’s aggression, posses-

siveness, and jealousy, as

well as its “small dog/big

attitude” traits. Yes and yes.

The more I understood her

hard wiring, the more I was

able to forgive her for behav-

iors she could not control. →

Author Steven

Petrow savors a

peaceful moment

with his 16-year-

old canine, Zoe.

August 2019 mindful 71

PROGRAMS

& TRAININGS

With The Mindfulness Center at

Brown University

JULY 14-19

FRAMEWORK FOR LIVING

MINDFULLY: A 5-DAY

MBSR INTENSIVE

AUGUST 2-4

MINDFULNESS & TRAUMA

CONFERENCE

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THE PRACTICE OF

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OCTOBER 4-11

MBSR INSIGHT

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OCTOBER 20-25

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Rhinebeck, New York

Just 90 miles north of New York City

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