Expressing Myself with Art

It’s hard for me to put into exact words what this tattoo means to me.... It all began when I was in 4th grade. My aunt and uncle live in the metro, twin cities area and it was on our way to visit them, that my family and I walked into a pet store and found our Olaf. This was around a year after losing our beloved dog Edison. We still had two other dogs at home but things were still somber in our household. We weren’t there to buy a pet but we fell in love with this adorable, 9 month old schnauzer named Malcolm (Olaf) all the same. My brother and I saw a sign on the pet store that said “Puppies”, and after minutes of listening to my brother and I beg to stop, my parents finally agreed. When my mom walked around the corner and saw Malcolm, she said “Uh-oh honey” to my dad and the rest was history. Malcolm was loved by another family who came to see him every single day. But they had three dogs already and due to city limits could not take another dog at home. Malcolm had ears that were not big enough to be floppy, but too big to be fully cropped, he was clumsy and very stubborn at the same time, but even so, we fell head over heels for this sweet boy; renaming him Olaf John after my parents alla matters, we were pleased. When we brought Olaf home to see our other two dogs, we felt a harmony that has been missing since Edison left. He was the missing peice to the puzzle of our lives that we were searching to find. When Olaf turned four, he broke his leg and I was the one to care for him and play with him when he had a hard time walking. During this time our special bond began. Wherever I went, so did Olaf. When I would leave for school he would sit in the same spot all day until I returned at home and followed me around wherever I went. When I left for college my mom told me Olaf didn’t eat for three days and wouldn’t leave my bed. He was so depressed I had to return home the first weekend to show him I hadn’t left him for good. Every time I returned home to visit he would do a happy dance and would howl his praises at how happy he was to finally see me again. Each time I would leave him I always told him “I’ll see you before you know it Bear”, and he would look at me as if to say he understood what I was saying. Olaf passed away after 13 beautiful years, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Ultimately my family made this my decision and seeing my sweet Olaf in pain was no way to honor all that he’s done for me. On the car ride to the vet I held him up and rolled down the window so he could put his face in the wind like he used to. I even shared my snack with him because it was his favorite. The night Olaf passed away, my aunt called me and said that our bond was too strong for Olaf to be gone forever. All I had to do was look for him and he would be there. It was when I went outside to think, that I looked up into the clouds and saw him. Four days after this moment, I got this tattoo of him and I to honor him and to always have a part of him with me. He was my best friend and I miss him dearly everyday. The words are in my fiancé’s handwriting and it’s what we always say to each other. Right now I’m in law school during this difficult time and this tattoo reminds me that through my struggles there’s always a peice if happiness connected to me. Though he may be gone, I find Olaf in the clouds or in nature because that is where we loved to be together the most. I know that wherever I will go, Olaf will follow me just as he did when we were younger. Olaf proved to me the night he passed away that he is never far from me, even if he is no longer physically here. He will protect me and make me feel loved when I feel alone. For those of you who have never experienced the bond between a pet, I promise, it’s one of the most beautiful feelings this earth has to other. If you have been fortunate to experience this bond, then you know what pure love and joy is all about.