the 11th collar, 9.18.23

i buy bagel a collar every year for his birthday. it is tradition, but more than that, it is symbolic of another year gone by full of life, good health, gratefulness, and happy memories. he doesn’t wear collars ever, only when we go to the vet, but even during our vet visit last month, he didn’t wear one. i am the one who typically puts the collar on him, but i did something different this year. i had his favorite person (my dad) put on his collar. my dad was in belgium on his birthday, so after my shower tonight, i had my dad put bagel’s 11th collar on him for the first time. i said a prayer with bagel in my room beforehand, pretty much thanking God for bagel and our time together. i also rambled on about how special he is to the world. bagel probably didn’t understand what i was saying, but i hope he could feel the energy, and that energy was mainly one of appreciation.

bagel then went on to eat his dinner, which he has been handling very well as we transition him to a healthier, allergen-free food, which i am also thankful for.

-ratha, 7:53pm, 9.18.23