What My Shih Tzu Taught Me After He Left

A letter about love, loss, and the quiet awakening my dog left in me

This space, Alma Animal Art, was born to honor the connection between humans and animals, and the way that bond transforms our lives.

Today, I’m sharing a letter about the love, resilience, and quiet magic that Niño, my Shih Tzu, brought into my story.

This is the letter:

Today, August 30, 2025, marks one year since the departure of Niño, my precious Shih Tzu.

I remember when he first arrived: dirty, trembling, and scared. He had no name. No one knew what to call him. He was afraid of everything. No name seemed to resonate with him… until one day, when I came home from work, I asked:

— How is the boy doing?

He looked at me and perked up his little ears. From then on, that became his name: Niño.

Only now do I understand the depth of that moment. By calling him “Niño,” without realizing it, I was also awakening the part of myself that needed tenderness, protection, and a home.

I took care of him… and in the process, I took care of myself.

There was a time when even pronouncing his name was difficult for me. But eventually I understood that he represented the girl I once was: without a father, without a home of my own, without material possessions… but with an unbreakable inner strength.

The girl who knew, deep down, that nothing would stop her, because she carried within herself everything she needed to go as far as she dreamed.

One of those dreams brought me to Canada 19 years ago. It wasn’t easy starting from zero. I faced many obstacles, but I never gave up. With time, I built a life that exceeded everything I once imagined.

And it was then, when I had already achieved some of those dreams, that Niño arrived.

Not as consolation, but as celebration.

As a reminder that even in a full life, there is still room for more love, more play, more magic.

He loved playing in the snow. Actually, he loved playing everywhere, because that’s what he was: a child in his purest essence.

His departure forced me to look back and recognize everything I have lived, everything I have healed, and how much I have grown.

That day, something changed.

He took with him the armor I had always carried around my heart to protect myself.

I no longer need it.

Without it, I feel more alive, freer, and more at peace.

Some days are heavy… but now I walk lighter.

This past year has been, without me even searching for it, an intense preparation for what is coming next. I’ve been cultivating parts of myself that were asleep and discovering others I didn’t even know existed.

Now I draw animals and write my own story: what I have lived, what I have learned, and what still transforms me.

Writing inspires me. It reminds me where I come from, where I’m going, and helps me make sense of things, heal, and share from the heart.

Today, I close a cycle that began 365 days ago… and open another whose destination I still do not know.

But this time, I walk with an open heart.

Thank you, my little teacher.

Thank you, Universe.

I’m ready.

With tenderness in my memory…

and wings to keep flying.