Dear Friend and Reader:
I met Ally when I went to Chicago to see Dani (Danielle Voirin, our Paris-based photo editor) last spring. Ally lives with Dani’s mom and her mom’s husband. I saw tomorrow’s daily photo come through with news that she was going to be euthanized Wednesday morning. Dani has been friends with Ally for many years, and had I not met them together, I would felt like I had really missed something.
Ally lives with her family in an impeccably neat house that you could describe with one word: Americana. The house is a tribute to Middle America. Everything is absolutely neat and under control, like a Sears showroom. Dani’s family is low-key and friendly. There is an atmosphere of well-composed normalcy. We had steak and potatoes for dinner.
Then set against this backdrop there’s Ally. Weighing in at about two kilos, she is the strongest presence anywhere nearby. There are dogs that can control a household, and she is one. The thing you notice about her first is how alert she is, and how she holds the tension of her mind in her whole body, which seems to be balanced on springs.
Then you notice the haircut. It’s extremely stylish, but she overpowers it.
She talks. I have never heard a dog make a wider diversity of sounds, which sounded like a morph between human and canine speech in some odd alien dialect that you think you can understand. I tried to record some of this on my digital recorder — but when I clicked record she decided it was time to not talk so much. She could not have been a more interesting character if George Lucas had invented her up in his writing attic; more likely, sci-fi filmmakers create characters based on critters with this kind of ambiance.
There is no subject on which she lacks an opinion, particularly food. Her favorite snack is venison jerky, which in my limited experience she simply would eat until you stopped feeding it to her.
Personally I feel that dogs ground the heart energy of the planet. All they want to do is love and serve. They need to feel needed, and they remind us that we need to feel needed. They will work to have a place in a household, and they remind humans that we are pack animals who are best suited to sleep in a puppy pile.
Ally, I have a feeling we shall meet again.
Love to you, Dani.
Ah here at last, really came to site today to hear puppy tales. I got lost on the way, but am now enjoying the stories. Paws have left indelible prints in my life. It’s the kind of reminiscing that makes me smile with warmth.
The woman who runs with cockers told me there was a psychic at one of the dog shows she participated in. A fellow woman who runs with dogs got a reading. The psychic told her that the dog wanted to know why he was the only one left? Seems like when this dog was but a pup, the rest of his litter was stolen from the home. He apparently was elsewhere while the burglar was stealing the others. She didn’t say how the woman was to explain that to her dog. Maybe the psychic did it for her. I’ll have to ask.
So the woman who runs with cockers was intrigued and got a reading for her pooch Taylor. She did not liked being brushed so hard, wanted gravy on her food, and her reason for being on earth was to make people laugh. The gravy was a flop, she adjusted the grooming, but she said that dog has a way of doing things at the most oppportune time to bring comic relief and some ribbons.
These little guys are precious. When I picked up Ian (the cairn terrier who sang with the piano and mimicked the sounds of lovemaking when he was pet:what a lush) at the animal hospital after a night of iv treatments, the overnite attendant said, Ian is not a dog, he is a little person.
There time with us always seems too short. Like people who joins us in the human experience we call life, they come and they go, just as we do. And yes, we know they are still around us, if only in the familiar sound of toenails on the floor. But yet, the parting is never sweet. But your stories are.
Having lost both beloved cat and adored dog last year, this makes me sad to read. Still, with so much institutionalized suffering all around us, it’s the things that become personal that move us to feel deeply and is, I suppose, the way of the heartpath. I appreciate Waves attention and respect for pets; it speaks well for us.
A big hug to Dani — I received some very comforting notes when I wrote of Meeshka the cat; the kindness of the community can help with the sting of loss. And if there’s a way-station for pups, Ally needs to be on the lookout for a bright-eyed, flag-tailed little dude named Widget who was also a high-verbal; they appear to have a lot in common. Surprisingly large and unforgettable things sometimes come in small packages.
some of my best friends are dogs and I send to Dani my heartfelt thanks for sharing her love with us. I miss my own beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Woof, whom the Vet diagnosed as having “an inverted sense of self” … vets are funny … dogs are precious gifts. We are all better for knowing them.
Dani and Ally, many blessings from here too. My heart goes out to you.
I have the greatest love for my own dog – a true companion in every sense – and an endless source of fun and energy. I continue to learn a great deal about myself (and him) from our relationship too. The only time he sounds human is when he gives a loud ‘burrrrp’ after his dinner – every evening, without fail. Bless ‘im.
i’m facing that day soon with my elder kitkat Sir Merlin and it’s heartbreaking (i keep asking him if he could just fall asleep instead). he’ll be 18 in May but has been living with hyperthyroidism for months now. letting him go in many ways is letting go of deep parts of my life, and it selfishly scares me. with unconditional love he’s been true blue (and definitely a stubborn taurus). blessings to you all in the process…
Is there any love more loyal and trusting than a canine companion’s? I was able to hold my last dog, a yellow lab name Reuben, when he was “put to sleep.” He was more humane than most humans and I reassured him several times those last moments that he had fulfilled the role of DOG to completion. I’m sitting here smiling just picturing his noble face.
Treasure all those memories that you created with Ally!
My heart goes out to Dani! I’ve had four dogs since I was a child. The one I’d had the longest, 10 years, we put to sleep when his liver quit working & he stopped eating. I can still see Titus’ face that day, it was like he knew it was time for him to go & that’s what decided it. The best thing I can say about it, is that once in a while I still dream about Titus & he is happy & playing in my dreams!