The pure and true love that those puppies give when they are put into your arms. The wag of their tails, or the wiggle of their bodies, even the licks of their tongues on your face. And the pure love that pours out of both of you when you press a kiss onto their head when you say goodbye.
The perseverance that keeps you moving through times of wanting to give up, or that are amazingly hard and never seem to work right. To push through the tears and walk away from your best friend and companion of the past year.
A trust that is clearly visible in those soft brown eyes that search for your own when unsure or scared. The trust you see the dog with the same soft brown eyes have in their blind partner and likewise. A trust that makes unforgettable memories.
The loss of a friend who didn't ask, and was content with no answers. Who was happy with a hug in the morning, and passed no judgement. A friend who was meant for greater things, who was born to lead, and who wagged their tail as tears streamed down your face in sadness of the goodbye that would happen in just a moment.
Then came the joy. Months later, realizing that the friend you had given up, had been given to someone else as a gift that brought light to them while still in the dark. The prince who the girl had been searching for through the darkness, years before he came. A gift she could only describe as her "Happily Ever After."
This gift you helped create shines like a radiating star, the pure love between your companion and their partner. A bond full of trust and soon to come unforgettable memories. A perseverance that will never give up, and always keep going. And, through the loss and the joy, this true love will never stop, and never end in the partnership that is a person who is blind and their guide dog.
