For fourteen years, Sadie ruled our walking routine. If I’m telling the truth, she ruled our entire life. She was not an easy dog. Sadie brought terror to people who came to our gate with her over-the-top aggressive bark. She made her opinions known, and she had many thoughts on what we should do and when we should it. She did not like other dogs, ever. Sadie fretted the whole time she rode in cars so much that we almost never made her do it. She hated veterinarians. She had a sensitive stomach. But she loved us and she loved walks. She set the route and the pace and always was ready for an outing on a leash. She had a great sense of humor and gave us steady companionship of the best kind. Sadie was the heart of our family, and when she left us 7 months ago, I knew I would never love another dog.
We were just finishing up with lunch a while ago when two neighbors knocked at the door, trailing a huge dog. Could we give this dog our yard for a couple days while they tried to find the owners? Sure, I said. But we will not get attached to him and this was not a long-term solution. One of the neighbors is involved in animal rescue, and she assured me this would be temporary. The dog had paws that made it seem he was already wearing boots, and his body was enormous. Muscles bunched when he walked and when he put his drooly jowl on my lap, his head filled the space. Of course, he had very, very sad eyes.
When he was evaluated at the rescue shelter, they saw evidence of prior maltreatment. I see no blame in this dog’s eyes. He seems not to be looking back, no overlap of expecting bad things from us simply because his past may have been troubled. He is gentle, polite, sits when we give him treats, waits to be invited onto the couch (yes, it’s really the only place big enough to comfortably sit him. We tried the jumbo dog bed, and it’s okay at best.) He does not bark back at the neighbor dog. He is trying not to jump up with glee when he first sees us in the morning, a wonderful thing that could turn bad since his paws hit my shoulders and he out-muscles me by a long-shot. He knows where to poop. He is playful and well-mannered with other dogs. He likes everyone he meets. He is big, and he does drool – but, of course, I am the one giving him a large piece of grilled salmon, so should I really be surprised he is drooling?
A friend wondered if the cosmos had sent him to us. I did not like hearing this. I did not want to feel obligated and didn’t want to have to be the one to send him onward to a questionable future. Our neighbors have helped. They come by to take him on walks. Others have taken him to the vet and to the rescue service for evaluation. We’ve had people stop us on our walks and ask if this is the dog they saw on Facebook. They offer to share contacts in case they can help. This dog is goodness wrapped in a black and white coat. We’ve had him a month now and his name is Cosmo. He’s not going anywhere if it isn’t our couch tonight and many, many future nights. We are right now headed out the door, so our dog Cosmo can have his second walk of the day.
Susan Vasquez 