“Put that down before you hurt someone or yourself.”
“Get out of the bathroom and stop unrolling the toilet paper and drinking out of the toilet.”
“Did you have to eat all the hamburger buns that were put ‘safely’ on the counter?”
“You were supposed to play with the tennis balls, not tear them all to shreds.”
“Oops, what was that squishy, smelly thing that I just stepped on?”
Geez! Would I love to say those admonishments today, but unfortunately, sixteen years of companionship ended quietly yesterday afternoon.
As Stormy began failing in health (eventually his legs and hips gave out), I began thinking about the past and other faithful friends that not only I had but also those of other families. When getting a pet, we are in for the ride of our lives whether or not we comprehend that at the time of adoption or purchase. Our hearts grow as the pet fills it with love; our hearts break when its time with us is completed. As Dr. Elena Osborne, our wonderful veterinarian who came to our house to send Stormy into eternal rest, we lay on the floor with him. We were with him until the end.
Till death do us part
After Stormy was put to rest, we began reminiscing about this unique animal and friend. He was quite a character. Portuguese Water Dogs are supposed to be, as his breed description stated, “a tireless worker.” Part of the reason we chose this breed was that he could be my running companion. Well, the first shady spot Stormy saw caused him to stop and not budge. So much for the tireless worker. He never could understand the point of running to go nowhere, I guess.
Another concept that he could not quite get the hang of was “water dog.” Orion Township has a wonderful dog park and dog swimming area on Lake Sixteen. You can imagine the pride and excitement we had that first time we brought Stormy to the dock. He was really going to show these other mutts what a purebred water dog could do. I didn’t know if he would start out with the backstroke or the butterfly, but I was confident he would be spectacular. Not so fast there, cocky dog owner. Stormy would NOT go in the water. Embarrassed, I stood on the dock next to the only completely dry dog at the lake.
On our third trip to the lake, I threw Stormy into the water only having to pull him to safety as he was thrashing for his life. My wife even got him a doggie life jacket. I refused to allow him to wear it. What self-respecting water dog has to wear a life preserver? Finally, he got the hang of it, but just like his attitude for running with me, what’s the point of being in the water. My wife swears that his vanity got in the way of things because he always loved to be well groomed and clean. He had a certain swag whenever he returned from the dog groomers for his bath and haircut.
Well, one thing the breed description handbook was correct with was that Portuguese Water Dogs could be stubborn and mischievous. I started this blog out with “put that down before you hurt yourself or someone else.” I should have said before you hurt me.
Stormy was an expert counter surfer. Nothing was sacred; nothing was safe. On the counter, after a delicious steak dinner was some plastic handled steak knives. Lured by the smell of steak or by the chewability of plastic in his mouth, Stormy decided to grab one. Before I knew it, he was chasing me through the house looking like a rhinoceros with the knife’s blade pointed at me. Had I been stabbed, how would I explain what happened to the attending emergency room doctor? My wife would probably have had a lot of explaining to do. Would anyone believe that my beloved pet had tried to kill me with a knife?
All the good memories
Lately, at wakes for humans, especially if the death wasn’t sudden or tragic, I find myself enjoying the feeling of community and the telling of stories about the deceased. I find myself dwelling on the legacy the person left behind in terms of family and the contributions of enrichment to all of us.
When a pet dies, memories come flooding into our heads. Stormy, you have left us a legacy of enrichment. Thank you. You will be sorely missed, Stormy Weatherman Daniels, but NEVER forgotten.
