The new print edition of Bark magazine just came out and I just re-read the latest installment “The Chloe Chronicles,” which I handed in about three weeks before Chloe died. In this piece, I wrote about how Chloe was slowing down and showing signs of aging. I wrote about how I was starting to worry that some day she might get sick and die. I had no idea she was actually quite sick, yet as I re-read the piece, the signs are there. 
I don’t know how to react. I could feel ashamed and horrified that I treated her “signs of aging” so lightly; or I could feel awed that, at some level, we got to say goodbye in such a deep way.
What awes me most is the pull-quote Bark chose to use. A few months ago, when I expressed my concerns about Chloe that I wouldn’t be able to handle it if she got sick, she said (telepathically, of course): “Don’t worry. We are together now. That’s all that matters. And when the time comes, you will still be with me and I will be with you.”
Thank you, Bark magazine, for publishing The Chloe Chronicles and allowing me to honor her in this way.
Dear Lee: My partner and I read Bark from cover to cover. I loved the last installment of the Chronicles of Chloe and read them all with enthusiasm. Your humor and love for Chloe always touched us. I am so sorry to hear that Chloe passed away. We have a big Aussie mix who just turned 16. He is so, so sweet but very inactive and loves his sleeping areas, his food and his moms, probably in that order, so much. I have been missing my long walks with him at the parks here in the Berkeley area, but your article settled my mind and allowed me to “live in the moment” more with our Blue as he passes through his senior years. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this sweet note, Barbara. I am very touched. How wonderful that your sweet Blue is sixteen years old! I am so glad to find people who relate to all the changes we face (and lovingly adapt to) as our beloved dogs grow old. All my love to you and your partner and your Blue.