A friend of mine’s cat died the other day. The cat was 16years old so it’s not like it was a major shock but my friend was, as most can understand, quite devastated by the loss of a very good friend. I get that.
I’ve never understood people who say they don’t like animals. I mean, I’m not saying everyone should have a dog or a cat but to me at least, the dogs I’ve had throughout my life have always been a part of my family. The dog that currently takes care of me has truly been a remarkable friend to me over the years. I’ve stated on numerous occasions how much Lucky has helped me stay on an even keel since I went out on my own again after my divorce.
Lucky adopted my family way back in 1999. We saw her at the Escondido animal shelter and were told that she was about a year and a half old and was already housebroken. We were looking at a few others and after spending some time deciding, we took Lucky home. I remember the first night we had her home. We had stopped at the store and got one of those big rawhide bones for her. It was a pretty large one as she’s a Siberian husky mix and was already full-grown. We gave it to her as soon as we got her in the house and she proceeded to lie on the floor and didn’t leave that spot until the entire thing was gone. She was obviously nervous and used the bone for comfort. The funny thing is, she’s never liked one since. She’s never really been a dog that liked toys.
They told us at the shelter that they called her Lucky because, like most Husky’s, she runs away when given the opportunity. We spent a week or two deciding if we were gonna keep the name when the decision was made for us. One night an electrical fire started at the shelter we got her from and a hundred or so animals were killed. It was just tragic. After the incident, Shelly and I found it quite easy to keep the name Lucky as it fit much too well.
I don’t think I’ve ever known a dog that has been so content with her life. Her only vice is to be loved. She adores all people, women more than men though. She’s also had to live with all kinds of animals, birds, a turtle, numerous cats and other dogs throughout the 10 plus years I’ve had her. Each time a new animal is introduced she just takes it in stride. No biggie, just love me kind of thing. She has run away a number of times but always comes home. While living in Florida she jumped into the lake behind the house and was just swimming around. No big deal but there are Alligators in the lakes down there. She got out before anything could happen but it brings up another of her loves.
Lucky is a huge fan of water. We lived in a house in California for a little over a year that had a built in pool. Lucky would go out back and just walk down the steps into the water till she was about neck deep. She’d proceed to just stand there for what seemed like hours. It was kind of a drag because it takes forever to dry her off. Her fur is like lambs wool under her topcoat.
When I got divorced. Like most cases, my wife got most everything and I got the dog. We packed up the car and traveled around the country for about a month before landing in Naples. She’s a great traveler. Just open the window when she asks and she’s fine. I actually love driving with her most of the time. Especially since the divorce I like to get lost in my thoughts when driving and she doesn’t talk too much and honestly never asks questions so she’s a great partner when it comes to the car.
She’s also really easy to have in hotels. I never have to worry about her messing things up. She doesn’t use the floor as a toilet and has never chewed up anything that she wasn’t supposed to. I like the easiness of life with her. She really is a great friend. I know it goes both ways too. She’s let me know when it’s getting too late to be downstairs and time to go to bed. She’ll start whining and pacing and if I stand up she walks to the stairs to head up to the bedroom. Funny, she rarely goes up unless I’m with her.
One more thing about Lucky. She doesn’t bark, never has. I mean she’ll whine and cry a bit but Maegan had to teach her to “speak” after we had her for a couple years and it’s still more of a whine than a bark. Once in a blue moon she’ll actually bark and it freaks everybody out simply because they’ve never heard that kind of noise come out of her. It’s nice to not have a dog barking every time someone comes to the door, it really is.
Lucky’s about 11 and a half years old now, old for a dog of her type and size, and I often think about how much longer he has. I don’t like thinking about it as it brings a pall around me that’s not very comfortable. I know that part of life is death but also know that I will be just as devastated when her time comes as my friend is with the loss of her cat. It breaks my heart to know that my friend is going through this and wish more than anything that I could do something to help her. Like I said at the top, I get that.
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