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Written by Nez
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Wednesday, 22 October 2008 |
 Today is a last post of 2 sorts. This marks the last post I'll make on this site before I take it down for a few weeks and reinvent it with an idea I've had festering away for a while. But you won't be hearing about that today. The main thing I want to talk about today is quite different.
Today I want to talk to you about my best friend. This morning I had to take my red cattle dog down to the vet to get her put to sleep. She's been with me for 13 years, was my most loyal companion, and it was simply her time.
My wife and I love our animals, and the hardest thing is always making that decision when it's time to say goodbye. We did that this morning and it hurts like a bitch. I've been sitting at home since, packing, as I'm off to Orlando tomorrow (talk about timing), and I got to thinking.
Last week I went to a funeral, a tragic accident that led to a wonderful lady's death, and her eulogy on the day was just wonderful. Heartfelt, funny, and most importantly something that really communicated how she was as a person.
Over the years I've been to many, many funerals, well over 50 (it's not exactly something you keep tabs on), due to my involvement in charity work over the years, as well as some losses a lot closer to home. So I know the score on how these things work. The eulogy is the single most important part of the service, and something that needs to be thoughtfully put together.
So today, after saying goodbye to Sophie and coming home, I got to thinking. Why are there no eulogies for pets? Sophie meant more to me than most human beings, so I feel she deserves one. It won't have the traditional format, but I want people to know how important this dog was to me. So here goes...
Sophie was a stray who luckily found herself showing up at just the right time. We guessed she was about 6 weeks old, and she had been abandoned. Some friends found her but couldn't keep her, so she became part of my family.
She shared many a house with me over the 13 years we were together, always leaving her mark and getting to know people in the neighbourhood. I'll give you two examples.
At one house we had a window box in the master bedroom that faced the road. It was a pretty busy road and many people walked past all day. Sophie would sit there for hours, with front paws up on the window sill. Every time someone walked past, she would give a friendly bark of hello. Of course if they didn't say hello back she'd just bark more until they did. A lot of people got to know her and looked forward to saying hello to her on their way to or from work. So many people asked me her name that I think at one point we even had a sign up under the window that said, "Hi, My name's Sophie". Some people would even call out her name if she wasn't there and she'd come running. It was a great routine and we loved living in that house.
At another house, the street was a lot quieter and I thought she was missing her window box. She also had to be kept outside and I put up some high fences to keep her in the yard. We had a house warming party about 2 months after we moved in. One of the guests upon arriving announced, "oh, is that your dog?" After asking around it turned out that Sophie had been escaping every day just after I left for work, and had worked out a daily route of the people she wanted to visit. They all got to know her and looked forward to her visits. And all the while I thought she been at home, bored.
Any house we lived in, the other people living with us always loved having her around as well. She had a strong personality that was always part of the household, not just a pet. There are just so many memories there, in all of those houses. From being given a whole pizza to herself when one housemate, home alone, ordered a two for one deal, to deciding the presents under the Christmas tree one year were all for her (to be destroyed or eaten), to not taking kindly to not being fed some of the fish and chips we were eating, and then sneakily taking my wristwatch out into the backyard to destroy it and teach me a lesson.
Sophie has also had other pets in the house to keep her company. Two cats have been in her life, one called Tom who never showed her anything but contempt, and a huge tabby called Tigger that Sophie would follow around the house wanting to play with. She never quite worked out that he wasn't interested. Tigger would put up with her nose prodding for a few minutes, before quickly giving her a swat across the nose. She'd run scurrying away, but would be back in minutes.
There have also been 2 dogs she's shared a lot of time with. Sadia was a beautiful black lab that at first wasn't too keen on this bright bubbly red cattle dog moving in. They did become good friends though, to the point of almost being inseparable and taking on some of the same traits. We're convinced to this day that Sadia taught Sophie how to smile to get food when people were eating. She'd never done it until she moved in with Sadia.
In the last three years Sophie's constant companion has been our beagle Charlie. He loves her so much he was constantly wanting to lay down next to her. She just wanted her own space when sleeping, so she'd shuffle around trying to get move away a little bit only to have him move in closer as soon as she'd stop moving. Then you'd hear this big sigh from Soph as in, "fine. I give up." She did like having him around though. Having someone to playfight with is always important for a dog in her senior years.
The standout thing for me about Sophie though, was her constant companionship. She was always wherever you were in the house, always happy to see you, and always keenly aware of our moods. She knew when things weren't right and put her head on your lap or nudge you to get some attention. She was like a walking security blanket, one that would always make you feel good just by her being there. Dog's have intuition and empathy, that's why they're man's best friend. She was my best friend.
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