Tribute to a Wonderful Dog – Megan Regan Aug 2003 – March 2018

In light of my heritage and upbringing ST Patrick’s Day is normally one of the happiest days of the year for me – but not this year. Saturday morning I had to take our beautiful dog, Megan, to the vet and have her put to sleep. I spent the rest of the day digging her grave and burying her. I did not feel at all like celebrating. Megan was our first golden retriever and exemplified all of the endearing qualities of that breed for almost 15 years. My retirement from the Army led to a more stable and relaxed life, and as a result this beautiful animal was more a part of our life than any other animal before. We’ve had several other dogs and cats and grew very close to all the zoo animals we worked with; I’ve even had to put down a number of animals myself in previous jobs, but nothing hit as hard as parting with Megan. She was the first thing we saw in the morning and the last at night. Our long walks, scenic drives, and evenings by the fireplace will never be the same. She absolutely loved to chase sticks, dig for moles, and go for a swim. But most of all she loved being with us. She grew up with our granddaughter and made her life special. She was there when we worked out in our home gym. She was there when I shot darts. She was there when we watched television. She was there when we walked around our property. She always followed us around when we did yardwork. She met me as soon as I came home from work and in the evening we always went out for one last walk before bedtime. Settling her into the ground and covering her up with rocks and dirt was hard on this old soldier and I am not ashamed to admit it. It is hard to describe how much we miss that beautiful canine but I am sure there are many of you out there who understand. I buried Megan with a stick so she’ll have something to do while she waits for us in heaven.