Our Best Friend

May 2, 2007

When I moved back to my moms house in early summer 1993 I was happily surprised to see another Seeing Eye puppy, a yellow lab named Dimples that my sister Melissa had accepted to raise. From the start she was a very good natured pup, easy to housebreak and very low-maintenance. I wound up spending a lot of time with her, especially since Melissa headed off to school in New Hampshire that year. I would take her on weekends up north to the whitewater rafting outfit that I guided trips for and she would hang out tied up to the bumper of my jeep in the employee lot and get lots of attention from the other staff who worked there. If it was rainy she would curl up on the front seat while I was on the river for 4-5 hours and be perfectly content. She went most everywhere with me.


When it was time for her to return to the Seeing Eye it was hard just like it had been for the other puppies that our family had raised over the past 10 years or so, but at the same time its so rewarding knowing that the dogs have a purposeful life. A few months later we were notified that she did not pass the training due to a condition from having parvovirus as a puppy that caused her to walk with a head-tilt. What this neurologic damage meant was that she walked with her head down and to the side, and also walked crooked kind of like a snake moves diagonally. Over the years she really adapted well to this and it became less noticeable. She always seemed a little goofy and unsure on her feet- one time I was in Mikes basement just hanging out and I whistled for her to come and she came flying down the side of the basement stairs! She slid down to the bottom and got up like nothing had happened. Some of my friends used to make fun of her but it never seemed to bother me much.

Over the next few years I lived in 2 apartments and could not keep her, but she was only 15 minutes away at my moms, a few times sharing the house with other Seeing Eye puppies. At the 2nd place I was able to have her after leaving an extra security and my landlord meeting her and seeing what a mellow dog she was.

She was so well housebroken that she would virtually never have an accident in the house, only when she was sick or left alone for a longer period of time. Sometimes I would get home late and she would run right outside and do her business having been holding it in so as to not have an accident inside. She hardly ever barked unless someone was knocking at the door (or I pretended someone was by knocking on the table or wall). When she went places with me I could usually leave her off the leash as she would only go about 30 feet from me- even in the park with ducks and geese around, she never paid them much attention.

When Dorinda and I had our first date, Dimples was there. Walking in Tyler State park along with Dorinda’s dog Samantha, the two of them got along just fine although Dimples always did tend to get annoyed with other dogs wanting to keep playing when she was done. In many ways she became closer with Dorinda than me, she was part of us.


We lived with Dorinda’s folks for 2 years before we bought our house and she loved every minute of it- getting plenty of attention, having a nice big property to roam on and making a good friend in Jasper the cat. She would make the trek across the field to Dorinda’s grandparents to get a biscuit from Poppop, sometimes completely on her own and we would get a phone call saying she was there. She loved her mommom and poppop as much as they loved her. She also loved being around people and could be found cruising underfoot at parties looking for the cracker that someone inevitably would drop.

About 3 years ago she stopped eating for a few days (very unusual for a dog with such a voracious appetite) and Dr Jim diagnosed her with not only Lyme disease but an immune deficiency blood disorder. He told us that 90% of animals do not survive it. We nursed her back to health with a diet of eggs and venison to get her to eat and miraculously she bounced back after taking steroids for a few months. At that point she was not to be given any more immunizations including rabies vaccinations and be kept away from other animals to protect her. Which was fine by her because she was a one-dog type of dog anyways.

Over the past year her hips got increasingly worse, to the point where she had difficulty getting around and going to the bathroom. We would have to help her up most times and also frequently help her stay up when going to the bathroom. She also started to drink a lot of water in the past 2 months, making me think there may be something worse ahead. Many nights either Dorinda or I would wake up to her crying because she couldn’t get up to get a drink, and we would help her around without even blinking an eye. By this time she was on several supplements for her joints and also tramadol for the pain. We even took her to an animal chiropractor for about 4 weeks which definitely gave her some relief- the stinky proof of which was evidenced about 5 minutes after her treatments!

We both started to wonder when was the right time to make the decision to help her move on, and it wasn’t until the last 2 weeks that I started to feel selfish when she would have difficulty moving around or start crying. Hearing her cry is what really bothered me because she had never been a vocal dog, not even crying out when she inadvertently got stepped on. So I made the appointment. She had many visitors over the past week from friends who wanted to say goodbye.
So 14 years after she came into my life, this morning I woke up and cooked her up some eggs and leftover steak from dinner last weekend. She wolfed it down. The sun came out and promised to be one of the beautiful days that we look forward to after a long winter. When the time came I put her collar on and said “want to go for a ride?” which she loved to do because she knew she was going somewhere with us. She flew down the steps and we got her on her bed in the back of the pathfinder. When we got to the vet Dr Jim came out and was so good with her like he’s always been treating her over the years. As I held her head in my hands and cried she passed peacefully and I immediately knew that she was at rest. Out loud I thanked God for putting her in our life and expressing His love for us through her, and also thanked Him for Dr Jim, and said it is OK you can take her now.

She is buried down at the farm where she loved it so much, with one of her buddies tucked under her front leg just like she fell asleep so many nights. Thank you Dimples for showing us both the unconditional love you did- you are our best friend and we know we'll see you again.

Here are a few emails I received from friends that I wanted to share

My Dear Friends Andy and Dorinda,

Your love for your friend Dimples is so evident. It will always be recognized by us as people who love and respect our own pets as individuals and members of our family with the right to live and pass with dignity. Our heart feels heavy for you. To lose those close to us never gets easier... the pain only seems to build with age and wisdom. Your decision is noble and without selflessness.

Love,

Marjorie and Blair

"We who surround ourselves with life even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Yet we would live no other way and cherish memory as the only certain immortality."
--Irving Townsend


Dear Andy and Dorinda,
I am so sorry... I can't imagine not having a dog in my life. The Boys especially Brennan will be very upset. If there is anything we can do, please let Tricia or myself know. I read this and though it fit. Dimples knows who was there for her.


A Dogs Plea

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for although I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the worlds sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun.

Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.

Author Unknown

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