Be in the Now

The screen door didn't stand a chance…

Jaeger had already clawed and chewed his way through a solid pine door in his quest to hook up with the neighbor's Lab. Her scent had possessed him, a Siren's Song that left him with no other option. The stream of traffic that separated them was of no consequence, nor was the six-foot fence that he scrambled over. That bitch was his, and nothing was going to stop him.

A few weeks later, eight little pups were born. Justin had distinguished himself from the black mob by being a little bigger, and having a few white hairs at the end of his tail and a small white star on his chest. Four weeks after that, his mother's owner told us to come and get him, he couldn't handle the yapping anymore. For the first couple of weeks with us, we let him suck on a sock moistened with milk and fed him gruel made of dissolved kibble that he managed to choke down; his little body wasn't ready for solid food yet. I tucked him into my armpit at night - he was part of our pack now.

Puppies use "cute" as a survival trait, and Justin was no different. Those crescent-moon eyes granted him amnesty for every offense. He couldn't resist the flavor of remote controls, and the occasional shoe fell victim to his needle teeth. He became a Momma's Boy, and he decided to be an indoor dog – preferring to share the comfort of our heated waterbed to the loneliness of the back yard. He learned the social rules that allowed him to stay indoors, and took his place as part of the family. When we ate, he would wait out-of-sight in the kitchen until called to clean the plates. He un-learned that trick when he discovered that we were so stupid as to forget him if he waited too silently. So when the silverware stopped clanking, he'd make a cow-eyed appearance to remind us that he had an obligation to fulfill, and if we'd be so kind as to stop dawdling, he'd be glad to get to his duties.

He invented a game with the cats. He allowed them free reign of the house as long as they didn't set foot on the floor. They could jump from chair to chair unmolested – even a phone book that kept them three inches above the floor kept them "safe" – but if they put one paw on the carpet, they were made fair game for a chase. It was a riot to watch them observe the rules, with Justin in a crouch, the cat's taunting him by hovering a paw just above the floor in a signal that they were about ready to run for their lives.

With us, he preferred fetch. Balls, sticks, Frisbees – it didn't matter. If you threw it he would return it and bark at you until you threw it again. Every spring he would re-learn the art of swimming – at first he would forget that his butt would float, comically walking on hind legs until the lake bottom became too deep then reverting to a violent vertical dog-paddle until he remembered to relax and let his tail come to the surface. Then he would swim like a crocodile after a stick tossed for his benefit – sometimes returning with a bigger one than the one that was thrown. After all, we'd surely appreciate that seven-foot log over the puny one-foot twig that we started with, wouldn't we?

Snow, wonderful Snow! What more of a sign that the universe was created for Labradors than Snow! He loved the cold, white powder. He'd roll in it, plow through it, and just stick his head in a pile of it to cool off. Days after it fell and was mostly evaporated away, he'd seek out the remnants in the shade and revel in the cold wetness. What more could any being want than Snow?

Sixteen years is a long time for a dog. Watching your son turn into a senior citizen is difficult. He's pretty much deaf and his eyes are dim. Because his little legs are faltering, he accepts the occasional boost up with dignity. He lives with pain in his joints, but never complains.

Last night he looked up at me with those trusting eyes, those eyes that have spoken silent volumes for so long, and he is letting me Know. It is time…

Love unconditionally. Forgive. Accept what you are and where you are and revel in it. Don't take yourself too seriously. Play fair, and play at every opportunity. Create laughter and joy. Be in the Now.

This is what Justin tried to teach us – will we learn it?