Notes of
Concern…
…Jackson Blair
MANS BEST FRIEND
_____________________________________________________________
President
George W. Bush and Laura have lost their beloved Scotty, Barney. Barney was 12
years old and all the years rendered him inadequate to fight off the cancer in
his system.
Now
Barney spent eight years in The White House. He met kings and queens, senators
and representatives, and presidents of other countries. He spent weekend at
Camp David, rode in helicopters and 747 private jets, and occasionally had a
chance to chase armadillos in Crawford, Texas.
Barney
had a good life. He probably had no way of knowing that his experience was
exceptional.
If
you pay attention to the news, you realize that presidents often soften their
image by bringing pets to The White House. It makes them appear more down to
earth. It renders them a little more “common” than they might otherwise seem.
We
had President Johnston’s beagles “Him” and “Her,” and President Nixon’s setter
“King Timahoe,” and President Clinton’s cat “Socks,” and President Roosevelt’s
terrier “Fala,” and the list just goes on and on.
Even
across the pond, the Queen has a bevy of Corgis living with her in Buckingham
Palace.
All
of us who have owned and loved dogs can appreciate that this is a tough loss
for the Bush family.
We
have two wonderful Labrador Retrievers at our home. The elder, Bailey, is a
male twelve years of age. Labs don’t usually live much more than 13-14 years,
and old Bailey is showing his age. He is a black lab but there is a lot of grey
in his coat these days.
There
is not as much spring in his step.
He
does not hear very well.
In
these two areas he and I have a lot in common.
Lucy,
our yellow lab, is six years of age. As is often the case with Labradors,
the puppy stage has lasted a long time. She is still busy romping around,
trying to please, and showing a great deal of interest in chasing the cats.
We
have had Labrador Retrievers for most of our married life. We are accustomed
to, but not comfortable with, getting puppies and losing old canine friends.
After all these years, we also know the signs of aging and the pain of letting
go.
Bailey
has been our great pal and comforter for twelve years. We are accustomed to him
and he to us. He sleeps in our bedroom and follows us around the house. He
loves to go in the car and to go for a hike. He loves to swim in the ocean and
to lie quietly in front of the fireplace.
He
has had a good life.
But
we are not ready to lose him.
Lucy
reminds us of Bailey’s youth. There was a time when he was the young Lab
trotting around following his elder, MacGregor. When Mac died and we buried him
in the side yard, we looked up to see Bailey in the window watching us. My
cousin has a statement that I really like: “dogs know a lot more than we know
they know.”
No
one knows when the end will come. We cherish every minute we have with Bailey.
But we know the time we have left is finite. We take him in the car as often as
possible. He moves slowly around the house but when you say “want to go in the
car?” he jumps and moves as if he were once again a puppy.
When
he gets to run and play outside, you would not know his age. When we let him
swim in the ocean, he regularly does more than he should. But he loves it.
So
the circle of life moves in predictable patterns. We make accommodations for
Bailey’s age. It's not so easy for him to jump in the car anymore, so we have
purchased some plastic steps. When I call out his name and he does not come, I
know that he simply does not hear me, and I go to find him. When he is asleep
in front of the fire, I can tell from his whimpers and the moving of his legs
that he is enjoying a great dream of past romps.
When
we go upstairs, we notice that he stays downstairs until he is certain we have
not just made a short trip up the stairs to return downstairs in a few minutes.
When he knows we are staying up there, he makes the effort to climb the steps
and join us.
Our
dogs are our constant companions, our best friends, our most reliable
acquaintances, and a very important part of our family life. We have loved them
all.
So
for now we will make every day as good as it can be for Bailey.
Because
in his own way, he makes every day as good as it can be for us.
