Finding A New Leash On Life

I know an older gentleman - or so he thinks - who upon arriving on the front porch of sixty-five - began to wonder whether what he done in life had any meaning whatsoever. A lifelong bachelor, he had tried several careers, none of which had appeared to suit him for very long, although he had happy times in most of them. He had lived alone for many years but always had a dog or two around to keep him company. The last two had departed at about the same time his hip pain arrived and worsened, so he had chosen to remain dogless for a time.

Eventually, he had a hip replacement (three hours in a sawmill, several months of getting back to normal, and the balance of a lifetime full of worry about falling down). But it went very well, and very soon he resumed his usual schedule.

About ten months later, he got a call from a woman who ran one of the local humane societies. The man had been on the board of the society and had now been without an animal for several years. She said that a scottish terrier had shown up at the shelter, and would he be interested in having a look? That was the man’s favorite breed of all, and he had enjoyed the companionship of several over the decades, so almost immediately he drove down to the shelter.

Behind a plexiglass wall licking all the hands that came over to pat her, there "She" was, loving all the attention. The dog had been found by Animal Control wandering in the city, had gone unclaimed, and was now eligible for adoption.

She - that is, the dog, pranced and cavorted, and the man knew instantly that he would adopt her, and he also understood that this wild, less-than-a-year-old creature was about change his life a little.

There was a “period of adjustment,” as the two-legged and the four-legged got to know each other, gain trust in each other, and learned to live together with a degree of understanding. Her wildness calmed over time, and he continued to be fully engaged by this bright-eyed creature, whose movement communicated joy, commitment, and enormous curiosity - and, in the way of terriers, a modicum of restrained affection. Good enough for him, thought the man.

Over time their routines developed - getting up, going for walks, going to the office, going in short trips, and the like. She let him know when she needed to go out, when she wanted to play, when food was at the top of her list. Both of them learned by her leaps and bounds.

When she was around, he seemed calmer; when she was in the same room, he spoke to her quietly and laughed out loud at her antics. When he would go somewhere else in the house, she would be nearby, and when she was outside, he would check on her every few minutes to make sure she was all right. Quite a pair, those two - at home or on the road.

When the two were getting their exercise, near the house or in the town where the man worked, the elegance of the dog, her inquisitiveness, and her willingness to be patted by hands large and small, meant that she produced a conversation...sometimes about her breed, sometimes about her origins, and occasionally she would inspire memories, stories, and often tears about a new friend’s much loved dog no longer alive. The man’s dog seemed to help the passing strangers - and him, too, and he was touched by the effect she had an others...of all ages.

In turn, the dog seemed to understand the man’s moods - when he needed her nearby, there she was; when he didn’t, she found other forms of entertainment - watching the traffic on the nearby road, observing the loons, ducks, geese, swans, and - one night - a pregnant raccoon waddling across the lawn at 3:00 a.m.

In her early months, the dog did not “play well with others,” but over time her terrierist impulses moderated, and she became quite social, enjoying the chance to receive and to send “p-mail” during the daily walk.

One day, the man woke up and realized that his dog was a “once in a lifetime dog,” an animal who came into his life almost as though some unseen hand or force had made it happen. He knew that while she was a dog, she was more than an eating and eliminating quadruped. She was a participant in much of his daily life, and she had made her presence felt deep in his soul. He came to think of her as a kind of mediator between the irrationality of everyday life in our country and the quiet time which most of us do not get enough of any more.

He knew that she had changed his life in important ways, and now, each morning, he looks forward to the new adventures he and she will have that day, along with the routines which are now taken for granted in their relationship.

And he is enormously grateful for this eighteen pound energetic bundle of energy, curiosity, and joy.

In fact, she’s helped him develop and maintain a new leash on life. His own. He’s a lucky guy, and believe me, he knows it.

So from Islay the scottish terrier and me, a double "woof of greeting" and best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a New Year full of sunshine and joy.