I heard someone say once it's just a dog. The funny thing about that statement is our pets bring more support to our lives than it may appear. In addition to companionship, unconditional love and the emotional connection we all crave most people actually change for the better when owning a pet. I for one think that is absolutely true.
I brought Lefty home to my old house almost ten years ago. Lefty was an Australian Cattle Dog rescue. He was extremely timid when I first brought him home as a puppy. He instantly became very protective of the kids and I, more loyal than most humans. At that time my kids were little so when we were outside he always made sure he kept them in the yard as if they were cattle. He absolutely loved the outdoors and to run for hours. He was my running partner for many years. I would head towards my running sneakers and he would bark until I grabbed his leash. We went on thousands of runs together anywhere from two to eight miles. He was a good playmate with other dogs but very nervous around strangers especially men. Lefty loved all the kids to come in and out of our house but very few adults. If you were on his good list it was easily recognized. Everyone else was enter at your own risk and I often had to keep him separated.
As time went on he ran less and less with me. His back legs began to bother him and I thought it was time to stop. He would still sit by my running sneakers but at that time I had to sneak out without him. Even our walks together became shorter but we always went. All the years I have worked from home he would sit underneath my desk while I worked and I would drape a leg over him. When I got up to pee or get food he came right along with me. He slept along side my bed every single night. If I got up with one of the kids he joined me. I honestly don't remember him not by my side except when he got his afternoon sunshine on the front porch. He really was my best friend and there for me in so many ways.
Ironically enough it was probably the beginning of the year around the time the pandemic set in that his health started to deteriorate. He was having trouble just walking around the house especially up and down the stairs and became completely blind. I never had a blind dog before and didn't realize how difficult that can be but yet so powerful at the same time. During this time Lefty struggled at night. He was getting up to go out just about every two hours. I don't really sleep much as it is but I was really not sleeping at all. We would head down the stairs and out of the house and he would make his way around the yard. If it was a clear night I would stare up at the stars while he sat next to me. Even though I was tired as hell it became my nightly ritual and I was at peace standing in my back yard with my blind dog and I loved it. Occasionally I would take my eyes off of him and he would wander the neighborhood and go missing and not able to find the porch to our door. Just a few weeks ago in my jammies about 3:30 in the morning I couldn't find him anywhere. So off I went downtown bare-feet and crazy hair just to find him near the gazebo. Luckily for me nobody saw us!
Obviously the pandemic left us all with more time than usual. I started hiking every morning with my dogs at 5am sometimes earlier. Luna, being her Jack Russell self is active as hell and needs long walks every day. We then adopted another rescue and I instantly found out how much exercise two puppies need. The crazy part about all of this even on nights when I had to carry Lefty up and down the stairs he insisted he go on these morning hikes with us. Every morning I would get my Jeep out back and pull around front. Lift him inside with the other two and off we would go. Not only did we become star gazers we became fully addicted to the morning sunrise and hikes at Flynt Park here in town. The way I kept Lefty close is with music playing on my phone. He was able to navigate all the trails behind us following to my morning music picks. If I had to guess I think his favorite music choice was Poison, he always had a little pep in his step when I played some "Your Mama Don't Dance". It became fascinating to me watching him make his way through the woods and how he remembered what trees were down and where to walk. He taught me so much more about the word resilient and I was so grateful for all the extra hikes we got to go on together his last few months.
Tonight my kids and the puppies took Lefty's ashes and we spread them around to his three favorite places. It reminded me how much we continue to miss him and how things are not the same without him. Coming home and not having him greet us at the door is what we miss the most. We even miss my niece Julia yelling at him every time she would come over to run and tell him "Lefty, it's just me!!!" Often our visitors had to announce themselves so he would relax not being able to see them.
Tonight we decided together he was the best dog we ever had. So for us he wasn't just a dog he was family. I will forever think about him when I am looking at the stars in the middle of the night and watching the morning sunrises. I wish good dogs never got grey and old
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