Love comes in all sizes and textures.
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In July of 2015, we lost our little Schnauzer, Lucky. He was my husband’s dog. Well, he was our dog, but he bonded with my husband. He was diagnosed with diabetes in early spring and went blind after a few months.
Before he got sick, Lucky was a hyper dog and very jealous of any other dog or human that got in between him and my husband. We had another Schnauzer, Scooby-Doo that had died a couple years before, but when we had them both for many years, Lucky was forever pushing Scooby out of the way, and fighting for attention. He only responded to me when my husband wasn’t around.
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My husband, with tears streaming down his face, tried everything to get some food in him.
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On July 5th, our house was struck by lightning, and we had to evacuate into the night rain while the firemen checked our house. This might have been traumatic for any dog, but for a blind dog who used to be lively and active just a few weeks before, being held in the rain under an umbrella must have been extremely traumatic. He was now frightened and shaking,
Our house needed repairs and we couldn’t stay there. After a night at a neighbor’s, we checked into a pet-friendly hotel.
The change was too much for Lucky. When he first went blind, he had adjusted to our house, but after the storm and lightning strike; having to leave our familiar home for unfamiliar surroundings was too much for him and he shut down. He refused to eat and curled up in the corner, his entire demeanor meek and fearful. Because he needed insulin twice a day, we knew he needed to eat and my husband, with tears streaming down his face, tried everything to get some food in him, but Lucky refused. Two days later, we said goodbye to our beloved little dog; my husband was devastated.
It took a month for us to be back in our home. Our neighborhood is full of families with dogs and the walks around the block as my husband put it “dogless,” felt empty. Our house was quiet and we felt a void in our home and our lives. We talked about another dog, but we weren’t ready. I wasn’t sure I would ever be.
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After losing a dog, and then not being the “chosen” family, it was hard to keep looking. It felt like a loss all over again.
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By November, my husband started bringing up the “D” word. He asked me to look up Schnauzers online; we knew the breed well after having three of them. Since he doesn’t know how to use a computer, he began asking me almost daily to look up dogs.
Did we want another Schnauzer? They have some breed-specific health issues and we weren’t sure we wanted to go that route. What about a mixed breed. Did we want a rescue? My husband thought a rescue Schnauzer might be ok, but he certainly didn’t want a “foo-froo” dog. Out of the question!
We found two adorable pups that we applied for through rescue organizations. We didn’t get either of them, though. After losing a dog, and then not being the “chosen” family, it was hard to keep looking. It felt like a loss all over again.
One day my husband brought home the newspaper. You know the one that is thrown on your lawn, or you can pick it up at the grocery store? We haven’t had one delivered for years thanks to online media. He went out on the porch and started combing through the pet classifieds.
He found an ad for a puppy that needed a new owner. An older gentleman who needed surgery placed the ad because he was unable to care for his dog any longer. The irony is that he also was not computer literate and two men who did things the “old-fashioned” way, connected.
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He said he doesn’t feel any less a man to walk him around the block, or brush him or bathe him… It’s not about the size, it’s about the love.
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But there was a problem. The dog was a foo-froo , fluffy little Malti-Poo that certainly didn’t look like a “man’s” dog.
And my husband fell in love with him. And so did I.
He said he doesn’t feel like any less a man to walk him around the block, or brush him or bathe him. A dog is a dog, he realized. It’s not about the size, it’s about the love. The joy that they give us outweighs any sorrow from losing one. Whether it’s a “foo-froo” dog or a Great Dane, a pedigree or a mutt, they all love the same.
“Nothing,” he says, “can replace the excitement of your dog wanting to chase a cat or a squirrel; pulling you down the sidewalk to meet your neighbor and his dog, and watching them interact.” And my husband says the dog always listens when he talks.
Our home feels complete again. It certainly wasn’t the new chimney or replacing the damaged appliances that gave us this feeling. It is the love from a fluffy puppy that we unconditionally return.
Welcome to our home Chipper.
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Photo/Courtesy of Author
There are times I wish we had little dogs but …. My daughter and her fireman husband have always had little dogs. Little dogs = cats that bark. But they’re cute nonetheless. For me? I have two Field Golden Retrievers that love to hog the bed. Another advantage to having small dogs. And don’t let me get started on the size if the dog poop and spring clean up. I never thought one way or another about the size dog and its owner. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one like that. It’s heart wrenching. I still… Read more »
We are really lucky that this one is socialized – loved other dogs and humans and not a barker!
I tear up too when I think of my Schnauzers – I always wonder if they don’t live as long so they won’t be left behind.
Oh, and have fun in the yard. Smaller is better 🙂