10.15.05
…and sometimes they break your heart.
There’s a thread going over at another site (scionlife.com) that started with a member getting a new puppy.
Rather than bogging down that thread with this story, I decided to put it here…
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Dogs are wonderful, trusting, loyal, friends. I don’t think most of us give dogs enough credit for their understanding of the world around them. They understand more than we are willing to admit they do, and sometimes they can just break your heart when you realize that it is just our failure to understand them that is the problem.
Years ago my wife had a Blue Heeler with a lot of Dingo in the mix. That dog was not really a domesticated dog, but was hardwired as a wild one.
Once we realized Tazman was essentially a Dingo, and was ruled by canine pack behavior, we all got along fine. I was recognized as Alpha male and pack leader. Taz and the wife constantly battled for Alpha bitch.
After we had Taz for about a year, we were at an ‘Adopt-a-Pet’ activity put on by the local humane societies and I found “my” dog.
She was still just a pup, but had a hard life – even including beatings and a broken leg. She was a terrified pup, but she and I understood and trusted each other right off. That’s how I ended up with a fluffy mutt – a large but very gentle creature.
Taz and Sneeker got along fine, and even though Taz was only about 37 pounds, Taz was senior to Sneek in our pack. We never had to train Sneek in anything – not even housebreaking – Taz took care of ALL her training. How? I have no idea, but Sneek imitated Taz in learning to come on command, walking by our sides, and everything else that made living with those two so easy. (Yes, we had a “dog door” so they could let themselves in and out when they wanted, and a large fenced back yard to run in.)
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Flash ahead eight years, and Sneek is not feeling well – the vet determines that her kidneys have failed and she has very little time left. She is suffering, so I make the impossibly hard decision that she will be sedated and never wake up…
When I return from the vet without Sneek, Taz wants to know what is going on. I try to explain, but how CAN one explain something like that to a dog?
For over a week, Taz would look for Sneek in all of Sneek’s usual haunts.
Every night at bedtime, Taz would try to find her and then wait, wide awake, for Sneek to come in and lay down at her usual spot. Eventually she would make one last search, return and finally sleep.
After about a week and a half, the pattern changed, I think Taz finally realized that Sneek was not coming back.
Taz was restless all day, and early in the evening, she made a ‘sweep’ of the yard and house, thoroughly searching every corner. When she was through, she went to her corner of the house, got one of her Milkbone dog biscuits and brought it into the livingroom.
While I watched, she sadly walked over to where Sneek used to always curl up when we were all in the livingroom, gently laid the Milkbone there, and never again looked for Sneek.
She understood.
Connie, Tom, Taz and Sneek
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