Your paw once rested in my hand

 Your paw once rested in my hand,

and in that moment, you gave me your whole trust.

I promised then what I promise still:
to love you, protect you, keep you safe.

But your story reminds me of something bigger.
That every paw deserves gentle hands.
Hands that feed instead of strike.
Hands that comfort instead of cast away.
Hands that cradle life with tenderness,
knowing each pawprint is sacred.

You taught me this, without words.
Through your wagging tail. Through the way you leaned against me.
Through the quiet peace of your trust.

Now, in your memory, I carry it forward.
When I meet another soul in need,
I will be the gentle hands they deserve.
Because to honor you is to love them too.

Every paw. Every life.
Gentle hands, forever.