Sunday, June 27, 2010

In loving memory of the dog next door

His ears were pointy, his tail was curly, and he was unwaveringly diligent in fulfilling what he saw as his sworn duties: to warn the neighbourhood of impending squirrels and to catch any frisbees that may pass his way.

He came into my parents' neighbours' household as a companion for an elderly lady, whom he brought much joy and ended up outliving. When I was in high school (which I guess shows how old he was!), when I came home from school he'd trot up to the fence to investigate and stick his snout underneath. I'd give him my hand and he'd give me a sniff and a lick. Then I'd go inside with a smile on my face.

I just received word that he was put down, following an illness that made eating and breathing difficult. He must have been at the very least 13 years old.

We didn't really have much of a relationship beyond our daily encounter at the fence. I don't even know if I ever even had a chance to pet him face to face. But he made me smile every single day, sometimes the only smile I'd get that day. For that alone, he will never be forgotten.

1 comment:

laura k said...

Thank you so much for this.