Dogs make us more human

I don't tend to share anything personal on LinkedIn, but today is an exception, b/c my dog has been my coworker the last year during COVID.

Certain creatures come into our lives at the exact perfect time, and we didn’t even know it. A year after we moved home from England, living on our farm, isolated from many of our friends, Dixie our 15 yr old American Dingo (Carolina Dog) finally succumbed to cancer. The timing was terrible as Suzanne’s brother Scott was staying with us and we were all supposed to go to Detroit the following day. Dixie was Jack’s first and only dog and he was still so young…he knew something was wrong but not the severity. Scott took him to Detroit and we took Dixie the following day to the vet and she went to sleep forever.

A dog makes us all more human, kind, loving, responsible. Dixie was a great protector. We began a few months later exploring getting a puppy from our friend (Susan B. Anthony -really) who bred Carolina Dogs in California but we were on a year plus waiting list. My main concern was fencing. Living on a US route and only having horse fencing could be a problem…

Susan out of the blue called me and asked if we would be interested in an older dog? This dog’s owner was going to hospice. I of course said we would happily meet the dog to see if there was a fit. The guy, who I can’t even remember his name brough Daisy. He said he had rescued Daisy a couple years earlier, had no idea her age, said she was a little skittish, and liked cats. He lived in an apartment and was undergoing chemo. Daisy was a excited to be on the farm and wagging her tail. She immediately gravitated to Jack and we walked her around everywhere worried she might run off. We collectively said, she could stay…and her owner left.

The first few days she was a little wary of all of us and sad. Suz wrote a song and played it on her guitar that we called the Daisy song. She sat on our couch and began to wag her tail again. The apartment comment above was prevalent. Apparently, she had never gone out to use the potty alone. We are on a farm and we had to walk her to potty…this had to change. She eventually would go out by herself and she NEVER went out into the road…although she would walk over to visit our neighbor David and his dog…which they enjoyed.

One of our boarder horses did kick her once and she was petrified of the horses after that. She stayed away from the barn and any field they were in unless Jack was out there. She was always Jack’s protector. I couldn’t wrestle him or she would growl and get between us. So, of course we would play fight to rile her up. She did the same for Suzanne. If we hugged, danced or if Suz even pretended to fawn over an Aloe plant (not kidding) she would get upset…even growl at the Aloe plant. This was the extent of her protector status…everyone was a friend to her.

While not the world’s best protector, she has always been a the most loveable happy little clam. We call her the mayor. She has to say hi to every walker, every person who has come over. She has to have her head on your lap while watching TV. And her howl/growl/gurgle thing she does when you guess what she wanted has always been our highlight. Ask her if she is hungry, wants a walk, has to go outside…she will wait til it’s the right guess for the funniest dog talk I’ve ever heard. Her tail has a mind of its own and you can hear her slapping it on the ground whenever she knows we are talking about here or she is just happy.

2 weeks ago we found out that Daisy has a tumor that will kill her. We may have days; we may have months. The biggest danger for her right now is falling. Its impeding her back left leg and she is having problems going up and down stairs and if she tries to run, she stumbles or goes sideways. We are going to try to make the last few moments with her great. No more dog food…only steak, lots of steak, ice cream, etc. The walks will be at her pace to make sure she smells whatever she wants. The pets will be extra-long and will be on the ground with her. She is sitting with me all day as I work and I keep looking at her goofy, snoring, self. We are going to miss her terribly.

Dogs make us more human. This unexpected, lovable, goofball has been the best blessing we could have imagined during a tumultuous 6 years. Daisy was the best gift we could have received at the exact right time. Thank you friend.