At twilight one day five or six years ago, a pick-up pulled into the driveway of Cabin Sweet Cabin.
“This your dog?” the driver asked, nodding toward a shadow in the back.
She was a big Lab — yellow, almost white — and obviously already elderly. A blackish tumor, egg-sized, hung from one leg. She shouldn’t have been pretty. But she had the deepest, kindest eyes I’d ever seen.
“Nope, not mine.”
“Damn. She’s been sitting right beyond the edge of your property all day and everybody just figured you must be missing one of yours.” By everybody he meant the loggers, gravel truck drivers, and the couple of neighbors who regularly traveled up and down the road. Apparently a lot of people had seen the dog sitting there beside the road, patiently waiting.
“No,” I said. “But never mind. You’ve brought her to the right place.”
Bonnie made herself at home with my dogs. She was as gentle and loving as her eyes said she’d be. I took her in as a foster and consulted the vet about having the tumor removed. But before I got much of a chance to do anything with or for Bonnie, a friend spied her in the back of my truck.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody fall in love on the spot. But that day, it was clearly love at first sight. She seemed to be drawn straight into Bonnie’s eyes. My friend and her husband adopted Bonnie, who became the calm companion and counterbalance to their boistrous young male.
It still breaks my heart to think of that faithful girl sitting by the dusty roadside waiting for the return of whoever dumped her. (For clearly she was dumped; this dog was no wanderer.) But Bonnie got the happy home she deserved for the rest of her days.
He young canine companion was Bark. He died a few weeks ago, still young.
Bonnie never got over Bark’s death. She became increasingly forlorn and disoriented. On the day my friends were going to pick up a puppy in hopes it would give Bonnie new life, Bonnie had a stroke. The vet came to euthanize her. It had been just a month since she lost her friend Bark.
Bonnie was one of the great dogs.
This isn’t one of the great dog pictures, but it does the best I could do to show Bonnie’s kind soul.
RIP sweet Bonnie. RIP sweet Bark. If most humans were even 1/2 as good and sweet as most dogs…imagine…
Thanks Claire. Bonnie reminded me of Shadow, a 130 pound (zero fat) black Lab we raised our kids with. He had eyes like Bonnie. He past on 14 years ago, still miss him.
God bless you claire
Yes, RIP to all the departed dogs whose spirits outshone most humans.
And thank you, bumperwack, but I didn’t do anything. Everybody else did all the good things for Bonnie that she deserved.
Now, if I ever get my hands on the creeps who dumped her out there … then I’ll do something.
I killed my dog today by John Ross
http://vlad-unclevlad.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-killed-my-dog-today.html
vlad. Oh god. That was hard.
Awww…..RIP to Bonnie and Bark…..I hope the puppy idea is still in play, some other dog needs to be loved out there….and we all know none are ever replaced, just another one gets a chance…..
However it came to happen, either Bonnie being dumped or else walked and sat down at that particular spot – couldn’t have been a better place…..
You captured her perfectly, that’s absolutely beautiful…..
Thank you, naturegirl. And yes, a few days after Bonnie’s death, they went and got the new puppy from a shelter. His name is Ruger.
Today when I delivered Bonnie’s picture to her “mom,” I said, “Now, let’s not have any memorial portraits for Ruger for at least another 15 years.”
You know puppies and their “cute” ways. Her answer was, “I don’t know. We might kill him.”
But they’re good dog people. They’ll put the work into Ruger to make him a great dog, too.
RIP Bonnie and Bark … and may Ruger live a long and happy life and bring joy to his people
On the John Ross blog post … euthanasia at the vet’s has come a long way since 2004 . ..and most vets will come to your house (or a park, or wherever you choose) to give the injection.
Beautiful drawing. Her eyes are amazing. Claire, you have a talent for catching the animal’s spirit in your drawings.
I have to agree with Mary Lou on the euthanasia thing. Even in 2003 when I had to put my cat of 15 to sleep, the vet came out to the house and I held him while the shot was given.
As emotional and powerful as the blog post was, I cannot imagine ending a best friend’s life that way.
I agree; euthanasia by vet has become a lot more humane in the last few years. Even back in 2005, the vet came out to my house and euthanized my heart-dog Jasmine as she nibbled liver snacks on my bed. That was six years ago yesterday. I miss Jasmine still.
http://billstclair.com/clairewolfe.com/wolfesblog/00001563.html
But I know people (some who read this blog, even) who continue to euthanize their own dogs. They consider it a duty and an act of love, and they do it as consciously as John Ross did.
Thank you for the compliments on the drawing, too. Its not one of my best but Bonnie’s spirit does shine through.
Pets become family-I’ve had to have two of my cats euthanized(both had incurable cancer,not too uncommon,I’m told, in older pets-one was almost 19 years old, the other almost 15)-the rumor is cats are “unfriendly”-not so. All of mine have been very friendly-the current one seems to like everyone(what you put into something is what you get out. Treat an animal like family,and they return it). They all were different,each with a distinct personality. All have been rescues or shelter pets(the current one was shelter pet). While the loss of a pet is nearly as difficult as the loss of a fmaily memeber(I got chewed out over this once, for comparing a cat to family, but when a pet has been around 19 years,they’re close enough to family to call them that).
My belief is that there is another animal-dog,cat,whatever-that needs a home. As I’ve said before, an animal can express gratitude…
I had to put the booster down 30 days ago…had her for twelve years, thru thick and thin…she was swiss mountain dog, soccer was her game…none better,semper fi…
“Dogs have given is their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve use in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made” -Roger Caras