Remembering Hayden Through Paw Prints

Hayden passed away two months ago. In his fourteen years, he brought so much joy to my family. I will miss him dearly, but I have so many memories of our time together. To remember him, I made a few of these framed paw prints.

The loss of a pet is painful. I don’t think I was able to grieve his loss until these last few weeks. I’d think about him, see his photo hanging on the wall, and start crying. It all just hit me. He was a spoiled brat, but we loved him so much.

Hayden lived 14 years. He loved to sleep, lounge, and snuggle. He was like this the minute we brought him home; he’d sleep anywhere.

Hayden thought he was a lap dog. He’d climb up on top of us and want to hang out. He loved to snuggle, however, he was a bed hog.

Hayden’s Framed Paw Prints years in the making.

A few years ago, Hayden fainted in the parking lot at the vet. We discovered his throat collapsed so he wasn’t getting enough air. He had surgery to pin his throat so it did not block airways. It was at this moment I needed to anticipate the worst. I knew I wanted to create something to remember him–eventually–and I needed to get that now.

On a weekend visit to my family, I stole Hayden away to the basement and covered his paw in ink. He hated when you held his piggies for an extended period of time. However, he loved paw massages. He was a bit of a pain, but I was able to stamp a few pieces of paper with his paw print. I was saving them for when he left us.

I had two recipients in mind for these frames, my dad and my sister. When my parents moved to New Hampshire, my dad, now retired, spent all day with Hayden. They did everything together. Hayden was my dad’s shadow. After a pet leaves, there’s a period of time when you’re still expecting them to run to the door to greet you, mosey around the house, and come clean up any food that falls on the ground.

I knew these frames would help us move forward without him, but give us a way to remember him always.