Today we said goodbye to our dear dog Spike. He came from the shelter ten years ago when he was found wandering around the Walmart parking lot in February rain, soaked and starving. Actually, he came from Cid's, the organic market in town. The shelter people were showing a few dogs there and trying to place them. I'd sent Ron to the market to get me some Chinese medicine because I had the worst cold of my life and the pills seemed to help. When I awakened from a doze on the couch as he returned, I noticed he had a short fluffy dog on a red lease. I wondered whose dog it was and why he had it. Turns out our dear friend Gayle was visiting with the shelter people and suggested he take this dog home. Our old dog had died three years before and Gayle had recently told us we were getting boring and needed a dog around. While they talked, the dog in question walked through the opened door of Ron's Miata and sat down. At home Ron quickly told me that we had him for the weekend only and he could be returned on Monday if we didn't want him. Enough said.
He was a gift to us and I think we were a gift to him. Half corgi, half unknown, he was smart and a character ~ one of those pooches who watched television, made eye contact, and thought he was human ~ and there were times when I wondered if he was. After a few listless days on and off, this morning we knew he was in trouble and got him to the vet. It had rained and snowed during the night, we drove carefully through a winter wonderland landscape to the vet's office. We left without him. It's snowing now and a strong wind is blowing.
Now through the white orchard my little dog
romps, breaking the new snow
with wild feet.
Mary Oliver, from "The Storm")
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