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Paean to the walnut [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-02-26
If you hadn't noticed, I love my dog. It's not just for the whole companionship thing though. It's for a particular reason that becomes more important in a meta sense as she reaches the end of the line.
Sophie wasn't always mine. She was mine for several years after I inherited her from my niece. Then she became my mom's dog for several years. My mom had a series of injuries that gradually stole her mobility and her mind. She fell in love with Sophie early on, so I gave her to my folks so she could keep her company.
Sophie is a puggle, which makes her half lap dog. Lap dogs are actually a breed of guard dogs. There are tons of pictures of my mom sitting on the sofa with Sophie on her lap, next to her, or on overwatch lounging behind her on sofa back. Once, my brother's dog, a large lab, came trotting up to my mom as she sat on the couch. Sophie leaped from the Sofa back onto her lap snarling, ready to attack which freaked my brother's dog out.
Sopihie isn't mean. It's was just the walnut, or as Jessica Rabbit put it, 'I'm not bad. I was just drawn that way'.
Whenever mom took a shower, Sophie would lie down across the door, head up looking out. When she went to bed, Sophie would lie down across the door, semper paratus.
Why am I blathering on about this now? Sophie is now 17. By all outward appearance, she's spry. People are surprised when I tell them her age. The thing is she can barely see or hear.
Tonight, I came home from cocktails with friends. She yelled at me per usual. As I went about getting ready to crash, she did her thing. I went into the walk in closet to change, she stood vigilant at the door looking out. As I brushed my teeth, she stood vigilant at the door, looking out.
She can't really see. She can't really hear. She can barely navigate the steps up to the sofa anymore. But danged if she ain't gonna do her God given job.
Ya gotta respect that.
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