Vanessa Owen

Warning: this may be difficult if you’ve lost a beloved creature. This felt worth sharing if even one person reads this and makes a change to contain their dog(s). This should never have happened.

Last Sunday Gavin and I came home to find that our sweet boy was killed by a pack of dogs that broke into our locked screen porch. Marvin did not hide, but instead stood up for himself and bravely fought for his life. He was outnumbered.

If you are a dog owner who does not keep your dog fenced in or leashed, I beg you to make changes. The dogs who took Marvin’s life are people’s pets who get together and roam the area, and apparently Marvin is not the first life they’ve taken.

My sister, Marvin’s second mother in so many ways, is the one who found his body and had to break the news to us when we arrived home. My valley family, who have all been through so much these last few months, helped her clean him up and make a beautiful bed of dried flowers and greenery for him to rest in. They (and we) have all worked so hard to feel safe and pick up the pieces after the destruction of Helene.

Marvin had such a hard time when we evacuated, I was so scared I was going to loose him then because he refused to eat or use the bathroom for a period of time while we were all trapped in our valley. Weeks later we were able to bring him home, and he was overjoyed— bounding from room to room of our house in disbelief. It was one of the most moving things I have ever witnessed, seeing how happy he was to be back in his ‘safe’ space.

Marvin was the best of us. He was with Gavin and me from the day we first moved in together 12 and a half years ago. He has been a bright light in our lives every day since. He took care of us more than we took care of him; giving us love, hope, laughter, comfort and so much more. He was truly the most loving creature I have ever known, with no limit to the kisses and snuggles that he gave and received. Words will never express the heartbreak I feel, the part of me that is missing.