[Pets] Re: How could you???
pets@gate.polarhome.com
pets@gate.polarhome.com
Tue, 13 Aug 2002 19:17:45 +0000
<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV>
<P> </P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh.
<DIV></DIV>>You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a
<DIV></DIV>>couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I
<DIV></DIV>>was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but
<DIV></DIV>>then you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you were
<DIV></DIV>>terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of
<DIV></DIV>>nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and
<DIV></DIV>>I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long
<DIV></DIV>>walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got
<DIV></DIV>>the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long
<DIV></DIV>>naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and
<DIV></DIV>>more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently,
<DIV></DIV>>comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you
<DIV></DIV>>about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when
<DIV></DIV>>you fell in love.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" - still I welcomed her into our
<DIV></DIV>>home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because
<DIV></DIV>>you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your
<DIV></DIV>>excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I
<DIV></DIV>>wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt
<DIV></DIV>>them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog
<DIV></DIV>>crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and
<DIV></DIV>>pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes,
<DIV></DIV>>investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything
<DIV></DIV>>about them, especially their touch - because your touch was now so
<DIV></DIV>>infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret
<DIV></DIV>>dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
<DIV></DIV>>There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you
<DIV></DIV>>produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me.
<DIV></DIV>>These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I
<DIV></DIV>>had gone from being your dog to "just a dog," and you resented every
<DIV></DIV>>expenditure on my behalf.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Now you have a new career opportunity in another city and you and they
<DIV></DIV>>will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the
<DIV></DIV>>right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your
<DIV></DIV>>only family.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter.
<DIV></DIV>>It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the
<DIV></DIV>>paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They
<DIV></DIV>>shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing
<DIV></DIV>>a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with "papers."
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed
<DIV></DIV>>"No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him and
<DIV></DIV>>what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about
<DIV></DIV>>love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a
<DIV></DIV>>goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my
<DIV></DIV>>collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your
<DIV></DIV>>upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good
<DIV></DIV>>home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules
<DIV></DIV>>allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At
<DIV></DIV>>first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it
<DIV></DIV>>was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad
<DIV></DIV>>dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who
<DIV></DIV>>might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking
<DIV></DIV>>for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated
<DIV></DIV>>to a far corner and waited.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I
<DIV></DIV>>padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet
<DIV></DIV>>room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to
<DIV></DIV>>worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there
<DIV></DIV>>was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As
<DIV></DIV>>is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears
<DIV></DIV>>weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her
<DIV></DIV>>cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many
<DIV></DIV>>years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I
<DIV></DIV>>felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down
<DIV></DIV>>sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She
<DIV></DIV>>hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a
<DIV></DIV>>better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have
<DIV></DIV>>to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from
<DIV></DIV>>this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her
<DIV></DIV>>with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not meant for her.
<DIV></DIV>>It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and
<DIV></DIV>>wait for you forever.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>The End.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV> Author's Web Site: http://www.crean.com/jimwillis/
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: <a href='http://g.msn.com/1HM1ENXX/c152??PI=31901'>Click Here</a><br></html>