TDC - Blog

A name can be your identity or a legal label to single you out in a group. For us, we struggled with what a name is when we lost our dog Ki in 2018. It was a struggle that stings to this day. With research after research and article after article that has confirmed what we all know. The loss of a pet takes a toll.

Ki's passing made me look at our life. We were pursuing a Digital Content Creators life. One where our adventures were captured and we attempted to share life's experiences. We never were really good at it then. We haven't improved much since. Keeping the Three Dogs Camping name required me to say out loud "Three Dogs Camping". We didn't have three dogs anymore. We weren't even camping when he passed. Instead of healing, and dealing with my feelings head on like an adult I did the opposite.

Forever Houseless! YES! It makes sense! We don't live in a house, and don't plan on it for as long as we're physically able to live this way. We aren't homeless, we're houseless. Forever! Forever Houseless! It seemed at the time like the perfect solution. One that didn't require me to think of Three Dogs Camping, a name that was very much coined with Ki, Hugo and Missy in mind. It allowed Melissa and I to start something fresh together. It just all fell into place so easily. Melissa even cranked out a record amount of blog posts!

Until, it didn't make sense. Ki was just as much on my mind working on content that was named Forever Houseless, as he was when it was just Three Dogs Camping. My hurt never went away, to this day it's still as raw as the day we watched him Euthanized via video call. We happened to be 2k+ miles away from him when this all went down. I wasn't an adult in processing my feelings and emotions about his loss, and I allowed it to create confusion for those who have followed Three Dogs Camping since 2014.

The name change sat like a gallon of curdled milk in the pit of my stomach. Instead of running from my sadness and attempting to hide from it, His loss should have been embraced. While our feelings are still as sensitive today as they were back then we're feeling better about the reversion back to Three Dogs Camping. It's allowing me to feel whole again and feel like Ki is being honored as he should have been. Missy is in the middle of her 13th yr. Hugo will be nine years old in 2020. Biggs, the GI-NORMOUS Fluffy white Himalayan-Siamese mix will reach 16 yrs old in June. What did we think was going to happen when all of our fur turds passed on? Change the name?

That simply doesn't make sense.

A name for us is something that encompasses memories, identity and most important emotional connections. No one should run, or hide from someone or something that brings so much happiness to ones life. The name Three Dogs Camping does just that. It helps me remember Ki, and heal. It allows for those who have followed us since the beginning and thought we might have vanished, find us. Changing it was a mistake and for that I'm sorry. I'm most sorry to our beloved dog Ki. He deserves better.