I never asked for Jimmy.

It was a typical day in our 'no dogs allowed' apartment when my roommate strolled in with a 6-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, named him "Jimmy". Despite me saying "absolutely no", I've never owned a dog and know nothing about them so we agreed to sell him on Craiglist:

Cavalier Puppy King Charles ~ $5,000 obo.

After a few weeks of hate mail and not a single serious buyer, Jimmy grew on me. He became my constant companion and my shadow. Jimmy was not house-trained, and if waking up in the middle of the night to find dog poop or catching him in the midst of explosive diarrhea doesn't give you puppy fever, then... who even are you?

Taking him out became a comical routine involving stuffing him into a bag and covering his head with a jacket making sure no one saw me. One night and after a long double-shift, I returned home to find a note on the couch, Jimmy stranded in a hallway, surrounded by poop, and the carpet in shambles. The note read:

"I can't afford to stay here anymore. I left Jimmy for you because he seems to like you more." In that moment, I knew I'd never get my deposit back, but Jimmy will be mine forever so I changed his name to Apollo.

Apollo and I formed an unbreakable bond. We used to go on the longest walks, went grocery shopping, exploring new parks, and everything there after. Money was tight, because college, but I always made sure Apollo had a meal, even if it meant sharing half a jumbo jack, 2 tacos and some curly fries.

Apollo brought me 12 incredible years of joy, companionship, learning and going through unforgettable experiences. He died on June 19th, 2020 from Heart disease and it has left me heartbroken. I miss him so much.

Art's Healing Power

In times of grief, I've found that seeking ways to honor and cherish the memory of a beloved one can bring immense comfort and healing. I started listening to a ghost podcast and that episode was about people experiencing ghost pets and how it brought comfort and closure to them knowing that they're still around.

At that moment, I thought about Apollo, wondered what he was up to, how he was doing, and if he could see me. So I used Midjourney, funny enough, my prompt was /Imagine Apollo, a king charles spaniel pup crossing the rainbow bridge running past unlimited treats and tennis balls.