I think the sad story about the aging family dog fits cleanly in "The Joy Series." We recently had to say goodbye to a elderly wonderful dog that has been running alongside our boys as they have grown older. My 11 year-old -- usually a noisy perpetual motion machine -- stood still, head drooped, shoulders slightly heaving. I walked over and hugged him and the tears flowed. "Why did she have to die?" We embraced and talked about the sadness we felt. And how that sadness exists now only because of all the joy that came before. You can't have one without the other. And we are blessed and should be thankful if we can have both.
It's hard that our beloved fur children have to leave us. I hope Westley lives out the rest of his days in comfort and peace.
We've owned (or rather, been owned by) three Scottish terriers. We eagerly anticipated playing fetch with our first, Minnie. It quickly became apparent that fetch was not her jam. We would throw the ball, and she would look at us like "you better go pick that up."
I am well versed in old dogs (BTW Gene, you just sold a book) and some of them have been really old, as I am a smaller dog guy, with most of mine being somewhere between 10 and 25 pounds. My childhood dog made 20, we had one that was 18 that my Wife got about the same time she got me, and my boy Ajax passed last year at 19.
People who aren't dog people don't understand either the joy they give you, or the fact that they still have joy when they are old. When Ajax was losing his sight, friends who saw him only briefly would say it was time, as we had to carry him up and down the stairs to go outside. (Unlike Westley, he loved being carried, and he was only a little over 10 pounds, so it was a one hand under his chest easy thing. He would get in front of you and back up to make it easy.) His last year, he had to wear a belly band when sleeping - because he was going to pee during the night. We bought washable belly bands and changed them out when needed and it became part of bedtime to put it on. People who haven't had old dogs didn't understand that part at all.
But he had joy. He would still find and stalk me for his bedtime treat if I was a little bit tardy, he still had moments (only moments now, where once it was constant. Part of the inspiration for the name to begin with was an old commercial for the Ajax cleaning product in the 1970's where they called it "The White Tornado" and he was like that) of play, you could tell he was happy, he wasn't in pain and he made me smile and laugh every day.
It was only when he seemed to stop having those little joys that I knew it was time. He was rescued by my Wife and her mom when he was neglected by his first owner, who left him out on a chain all the time exposed during a cold winter. (not good for a 10 pound indoor type puppy) and probably would have been dead sometime before the age of three at best. Instead, he lived the good life, and gave me more joy than I deserved in return.
Wow, poignant time for this, which I'm reading in the vets office where I just learned my cat has a tumor on his leg and the only way to avoid a cancer-defining death will be to remove the limb. He's 13, who's is like 78 in cat years, but also a perfect soul who is as happy as can be.
So I sit here wondering what to do if his X-rays are clear, because then they will suggest amputation to save his life.
And in the end they are clear and now I have to decide what to do next
Great piece, Joe. I'm not much of a dog guy - we've always had cats - but the message of the story still applies. Our cat Cincinnati (she's a Bengal) is sitting on my lap right now. She likes to do this while I work and gets indignant every time I get up to do something. She has long hooked claws, which because she is 17 she now has a hard time retracting. Hence, I call her Mrs. Claws.
Always enjoy your writing. We used dog slings for our older dogs as they became less mobile. They didn't really mind, as they could again take the stairs with Minimal assistance. Might give it a shot. Good luck.
Nothing more joyful than an old dog story. I have enjoyed hearing about Westley over the years. I too have a 13-year-old dog, that is living a similar life to Westley. Savoring the moments.
Beautiful, Joe. Simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
You go Westley. Enjoy your naps!
I think the sad story about the aging family dog fits cleanly in "The Joy Series." We recently had to say goodbye to a elderly wonderful dog that has been running alongside our boys as they have grown older. My 11 year-old -- usually a noisy perpetual motion machine -- stood still, head drooped, shoulders slightly heaving. I walked over and hugged him and the tears flowed. "Why did she have to die?" We embraced and talked about the sadness we felt. And how that sadness exists now only because of all the joy that came before. You can't have one without the other. And we are blessed and should be thankful if we can have both.
Also beautifully said. It sounds like you're a great father.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a dog can can be defined in dictionary terms
Forget sports, Joe, your personal essays are priceless. And this from a fanatical baseball lifer.
Man. This hits hard. Love it. There is nothing like a dog. Thank you for writing this.
Perhaps the best thing you’ve ever written
It's hard that our beloved fur children have to leave us. I hope Westley lives out the rest of his days in comfort and peace.
We've owned (or rather, been owned by) three Scottish terriers. We eagerly anticipated playing fetch with our first, Minnie. It quickly became apparent that fetch was not her jam. We would throw the ball, and she would look at us like "you better go pick that up."
I am well versed in old dogs (BTW Gene, you just sold a book) and some of them have been really old, as I am a smaller dog guy, with most of mine being somewhere between 10 and 25 pounds. My childhood dog made 20, we had one that was 18 that my Wife got about the same time she got me, and my boy Ajax passed last year at 19.
People who aren't dog people don't understand either the joy they give you, or the fact that they still have joy when they are old. When Ajax was losing his sight, friends who saw him only briefly would say it was time, as we had to carry him up and down the stairs to go outside. (Unlike Westley, he loved being carried, and he was only a little over 10 pounds, so it was a one hand under his chest easy thing. He would get in front of you and back up to make it easy.) His last year, he had to wear a belly band when sleeping - because he was going to pee during the night. We bought washable belly bands and changed them out when needed and it became part of bedtime to put it on. People who haven't had old dogs didn't understand that part at all.
But he had joy. He would still find and stalk me for his bedtime treat if I was a little bit tardy, he still had moments (only moments now, where once it was constant. Part of the inspiration for the name to begin with was an old commercial for the Ajax cleaning product in the 1970's where they called it "The White Tornado" and he was like that) of play, you could tell he was happy, he wasn't in pain and he made me smile and laugh every day.
It was only when he seemed to stop having those little joys that I knew it was time. He was rescued by my Wife and her mom when he was neglected by his first owner, who left him out on a chain all the time exposed during a cold winter. (not good for a 10 pound indoor type puppy) and probably would have been dead sometime before the age of three at best. Instead, he lived the good life, and gave me more joy than I deserved in return.
Wow, poignant time for this, which I'm reading in the vets office where I just learned my cat has a tumor on his leg and the only way to avoid a cancer-defining death will be to remove the limb. He's 13, who's is like 78 in cat years, but also a perfect soul who is as happy as can be.
So I sit here wondering what to do if his X-rays are clear, because then they will suggest amputation to save his life.
And in the end they are clear and now I have to decide what to do next
Great piece, Joe. I'm not much of a dog guy - we've always had cats - but the message of the story still applies. Our cat Cincinnati (she's a Bengal) is sitting on my lap right now. She likes to do this while I work and gets indignant every time I get up to do something. She has long hooked claws, which because she is 17 she now has a hard time retracting. Hence, I call her Mrs. Claws.
Always enjoy your writing. We used dog slings for our older dogs as they became less mobile. They didn't really mind, as they could again take the stairs with Minimal assistance. Might give it a shot. Good luck.
Dogs are the best. Our little guy went deaf recently (he's twelve) but he's just as happy and snuggly as ever.
Check his nails. - Sometimes an ingrown nail or a too-long nail can hurt
Dogs are better than we deserve.
Nothing more joyful than an old dog story. I have enjoyed hearing about Westley over the years. I too have a 13-year-old dog, that is living a similar life to Westley. Savoring the moments.