As many of you know my wife and I lost our fourteen year old beagle a little over three weeks ago to congestive heart failure. We’re still in the process of getting used to the void he’s left – the quiet home, all the hours in the day that he used to fill.
We’re planning to travel the world for the next five or so years to wring the last few drops of wanderlust from our ever curious but soon-to-be weary souls. We decided that we wanted a permanent reminder of our little guy wherever we find ourselves.
We decided the best way to do this was permanent ink. I already have too many tattoos to count but this was my wife’s first. I decided to get the exact outline of Amstel’s paw with his name underneath in a kind of playful font that reminded me of him (I’m not sure why).
Greg Lehman, the tattooist, created this design directly from the imprint of his paw that we got from the vet.
It was fun being back in Greg’s shop. He’s one of the most creative and multi-talented people I’ve ever met. As you can see there’s something to catch your eye (and your imagination) on every square inch of his walls and most of it was made by him.
He’s an artist, craftsman, 80's rock aficionado, and a true renaissance man.
As an added bonus, we got some surrogate puppy time in. This is Greg's, very affectionate dog, Red.
My wife, Raymi, handled the pain like a trooper. Of course, she has given birth so getting tattooed was easy in comparison. Raymi created her own design that was tribute to both of the beagles she's owned, Bud, and later, Amstel.
It was hard to believe it had been nearly five years since I was in Greg’s chair. The smell of the disinfectant and ink in the air instantly brought back lots of memories from my past visits. As soon as Motley Crue started blaring on the speakers, the needles began dancing across my arm, and the tattoo was done in under an hour.
We couldn’t have been happier with the end products. Now we’ll have a little reminder of Amstel wherever life finds us.
I already have my next tattoo planned. This design was created by my good friend, the British artist, Ophelia Fu (@opheliafu). It has a highly stylized “W” (for Walton) integrated into the design. If you didn’t know it was there you might miss it.
The hard part now will be to decide where this next one will go. You'd better believe I'll be avoiding the red areas...
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
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That was such a beautiful thing to do, I mean... That's immortalizing Amstel there. Tattooing can be painful, so I've heard, but the end product looks so flawless, one wouldn't imagine how painful it's been. I'm glad you both are taking it one day at a time.
Thank you! This one wasn't that painful at all. I think the key is staying within those green areas above. Lol.
Yeah, I saw the green and red area. I thought the pain level is ultimately the same. Hope is your end of the world?
So sorry for the loss of your son. I strongly believe he still lives on no matter what 😔
Thank you! This was our dog. Thankfully, we didn't lose our son.
I remember you told me some time ago that your dog had passed away and you were both very upset. Whenever someone leaves this world, we are left with the time spent with them that we cherish. And the way you got this tattoo in his memory now. It hurts a person while doing it, but when a person loves someone, he can do anything for him. I also have a cat who has been living in our house for a long time and sometimes if she wanders around it causes us a lot of trouble. He is like a member of our house now.
They do become like part of the family! We had a cat when I was a boy that would leave for weeks at a time but would always come back. We had him for years.
I love the tattoos. What a great way to bring the memories of your best friends with you as you travel.
Our son lost his dog Riley almost 3 years ago. what a great dog. I've never seen a more mellow dog.
I made this headstone for him
Thank you! This is really the main reason we got them, all we'll have to do is look down at our arms and a little piece of him with be with us. I'm sorry for the loss of your son's dog. What a joy they are. Amstel was one of my best friends. I'll always be grateful for the the memories we made.
Even losing an animal could be so emotional for us because we spend time with them like our friend, our kid... Therefore, I don't want to pet any animal anymore :/
It's so tough losing them! I bonded with Amstel like no other animal I've ever had. We will eventually get another beagle but we want to make sure we're done with the majority of our travels and settled before we do that.
I can feel how much you and your wife love Amstel. By looking at the tattoo that you make means you will always remember him wherever you are. God bless you Eric.
Thank you my friend! Bless you as well.
That's interesting. So many people have them on their foot I wouldn't have guessed that was the most painful place. My wife has talked about getting one, but I don't know as though she ever will. We always joke about it, but we never do it. What a great way to memorialize your walking buddy.
Anywhere where there isn't a lot of muscle really hurts. My brother got one recently in the middle of his chest and he said it sounded like a jack hammer and hurt like hell. If you can find a design that means a lot to you I highly recommend getting one though. Thank you! I smile whenever I look down at his paw print now.
Oh, well in that case I am going to hurt all over the place! I have no muscle! I have three or four on my stomach from when I had cancer. They give you these little dots to line you up with the radiation machine each time. Since they need to be sure they get it the same every time, they tattoo the dots on you.
I did not know you lost Amstel. So sorry! He was a hoot, a very good and loyal being.
As for tattoos, I have one. I see on the chart that I got it in one of the least painful places. It hurt like hell. Never again. But if I were to get one, it would be of my dogs' pawprints.
Thank you! Yes, he was a true original. The joy they give you makes the pain worth it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how little this one hurt. The mandala I have on my right shoulder has to be the most painful one I've gotten.
https://hive.blog/tattoos/@ericvancewalton/tattoos-they-ll-change-your-life
I remember Ophelia, she was a cool chick and he art was always something else. Cool tat and the one to come looks amazing!
Thank you! Yes! We met at the first SteemFest and have remained friends ever since. She's super talented but she's not on Hive much anymore. We had a great time with her and her family in England in 2019. They were kind enough to ride the train down to London and gave us the best tour imaginable. It was a fun day!
Ha, no way!! I met her at the first steemfest too!!
Damn it would have been good to meet you too! There were so many there though it was hard to get round. She is a lovely person, shake she's not on so much.
I had no idea you were there! It's crazy how much fun that weekend was, it would have been a lot of fun to hang out. I was sick as a dog, caught the flu on the flight over and barely had a voice for my presentation.
She really is a kind and thoughtful person. My wife and I were really happy they made the trek into London. It ended up being one of our best memories of the trip.
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I find both your tattoo and your wife's tattoo really cool. And a beautiful souvenir of Amstel.
I only have one tattoo that I got recently, a promise kept to my son whom I promised that I would get a tattoo with him when he left home for college. I don't think will be another one, but we should never say never :)
Thank you! I think that's great that you and your son got one together! After the shield and sword (above) I think I'll be done for a while.
It turned out beautifully. Getting tattoos is your tribute to grief, your way of remembering that Amstel is with you forever. And this is one of the possible ways to honor the memory of the dead and experience grief. It seems to me that this is just as good as everything that is usually offered to do in our culture - commemoration, care of the grave, etc.
Thank you! It definitely makes me happy to see his paw print on my arm now.
I'm so sorry for your loss my friend, it's never easy to lose our little ones, the tattoo besides having a great meaning was beautiful.
Thank you!
A friend of mine has full sleeves. But the most painful spot for her was the top of her foot. It's "simply" the initials of her kids... but she felt that every hit of the needle was directly on a nerve.
The crook of her elbow was second most painful.
I would never get the top of my foot or hands done. I've heard those are super painful spots. I'll use the pain chart above as my faithful guide. : )
I'm truly in tears after reading your post, it's hard to believe when your loved one left you, you feel loneliness even there are people around you. Life doesn't stop for any one, but their is emptyinees that could never be fulfilled, i love to see you both your boy so much that you decided to have a tattoo dedicated to Amstel, both tattos are looking beautiful and they will make sure that Amstel is still there with you in your heart alive and happy.
Thank you! You are so right, every time you lose someone close to you it creates a void that you can never really fill. Eventually you just find a way to move on.
Yes this how life works, if it doesn't work like this, we won't be able to live it after our loved ones left us.
Traveling around the world can increase peace of mind, tattooing is very painful for the body, tattooing as a memory can also be painful for the mind.Again tattoo can be harmful to health
I know how this feels to lose something so special to us and I believe with this tattoo the memories wouldn't be forgotten.
The both tattoos are really nice and I appreciate the drawings a lot.
Thanks!
Journey of unconditional love expression in everlasting memory form.
I had no Idea you lost Amstel! I'm so sorry to hear this! I really like the idea of getting the tattoo, what a wonderful memory.
Love the next one coming up. On you chest or the shoulderblade!
Thank you! It's been a tougher transition than I imagined but it's getting a little easier every day. We'll see how long we can go before we get another beagle.
I was thinking forearm but the other two suggestions would work well too! Have a good weekend Denise!
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Pained to hear that sad news. I pay my condolence to the departed soul. Not easy, no matter how hard we try to say or write, those who bear this pain know what kind of state they have to go through. May god give you strength.
Tha tattoo pain chart is really fascinating. I would use this chart now when I go to get myself tattooed, I can easily chose where to when I am to bear least pain. Very very informative. Thanks.
Thank you! We have so many great memories with him.
You're welcome. I waited until I was in my forties before I got my first tattoo but, as they say, it's addictive and now I have four large ones.