Puppy Love

“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.”
- Bern Williams

I had the good fortune to dogsit on Saturday night though I suspect the request to keep Dora for a few hours, was as much to make me happy as it was to make her happy. Brian and Geraldine spent a few hours in Kitchener where Brian had a speaking engagement. As Dora has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, they are reluctant to leave her for more than a couple of hours at a time. I was more than happy to accommodate.

Dora is a pretty special dog. She was rescued by Brian and Ger after the death of their beloved Lucy not quite two years ago. I loved Lucy. She used to visit me when I was going through treatment and she always brought me comfort and lifted my spirits. On the days that I spent healing in Brian and Ger's pool, Lucy would join me in the water. But Lucy was also a bit aloof. She didn't like to cuddle. Dora is a different animal. Dora was a puppy mill dog who, as it turns out, is far older than she was thought to be when Brian and Ger brought her home. They were told she was about two years old when they got her but the vet thinks she is closer to eight. She is a beautiful little pup, small, white and fluffy. She is happiest in someone's arms. She doesn't care for walking much, probably because she spent so many years caged. Jacob and I used see Brian and Dora most mornings last year when I would drive Jacob to school and we would joke about Dora being out walking Brian as she was almost always in his arms. Of course he is smitten with her. It would be pretty tough not to fall for Dora. From the day they first brought her home, she loved them fiercely. She seemed to sense that she had hit the jackpot for the first time in her life and she would have the chance to live a good life with people who would love and care for her.

A few weeks ago, Dora was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery. The news which followed was dire - the cancer is aggressive and had progressed far further than first thought. Brian and Ger had to make a decision about what comes next - more surgery, chemotherapy or handing Dora's fate over to God. They chose the latter. Seems like the right choice to me. Further treatment may prolong Dora's life for as long as a year but at what price to the quality of her days?

In the meantime, Dora doesn't seem at all sick. She was certainly well enough to split a sirloin steak with me on Saturday night. She carried her buiscuits around the house and stashed them in her favorite places. She jumped up on the sofa and planted herself on Merv's chest where she enjoyed a sound after-dinner nap. Whatever time Dora has left, will be lived among those who love her. And that is a gift to us all.