DOG DAY AFTERNOON...ALL DAY LONG
When I got to work this morning there was no Shadow waiting for me at the door. "Oh...they haven't let her out of her yard yet..." . The GM was getting out of his car as I was and we commenced our tradition of "having a smoke" (he quit...I haven't...but he still gets to have a smoke) on the sidewalk in front of the store with the usual what's up and such.There was no barking..." she must be upstairs with the AP clerk who brings her SIX pork tenderloin steaks to hide strategically around the shop" I thought to myself.(what self respecting street dog wouldn't love this clerk?).
When I finally went inside...no Shadow.I headed to the back to let her out and was in the cleaning dept. when the admin. assist informed me she was gone...one of the cleaners had taken her home!
She gets to sleep inside at night and has one constant companion instead of 30...hooray!As good as good news gets, I missed her today...the shop felt empty.
Back to the morning smoke...The GM's Dog is old...10 plus years and a large breed...she'd had some problems breathing in the recent past and went off her food...improved some but had recently fallen back to illness,not eating,listless...etc..
The GM fears his dog is dying and will ultimately have to be put down.
This guy loves his dog...he knows I have had my share of loss with dogs,having to put down the one and only Buddy(lived a remarkable 14 yrs.,despite being a large breed mix) and our Boxer Diamond,and he asked me what it was like...
How do you describe what it's like to kill something you love?
Even if you know it's the only thing to do?
I tried to explain it to him...I think I managed "it's really hard dude" before the memories came crashing in and after reciting some mecahnics of the procedure ended with "it's hard dude,I don't like thinking about it...to this day". I referred him to my vet.
This was all before 8am.
The day went by with my thoughts on Shadow and our time together and I went further back...to Diamond and Skeeter (another boxer who died suddenly of an aortic anuerism) to Buddy the wonder dog, to Murphy...my parents Irish Setter.
I was engulfed in the memories of dogs...they touched me then...they touch me now.
I did my 4 miles after work and came home to the usual...Irene racks me 2 steps into the door,Theo sticks his nose in the grocery bags, and Sully barks until you put the toy in his mouth...then he rumbles while you scratch his back and tell him you love him.
And he loves you...no doubt about it.