Puppy Powers

On 9/11, I watched a documentary about the search and rescue dogs that were at ground zero on that awful day and the weeks that followed, looking for survivors, and then for bodies.  Searching for items that they could return to family members to cherish.  And there were also dogs that were there to just act as comforters, cuddlers, for the weary men and women working the scene.  There are moving photos of grief stricken officers and public servants embracing dogs, stroking their fur, looking into their eyes for hope.

The more I sat there and bawled, the more I started to think about the role dogs play in our lives.  I read articles about therapy dogs in nursing homes, schools, and hospitals.  In some major hospitals in big cities, there are resident dogs who are just there for nurses and doctors to help cope with the loss of patients, trauma they witness and overwhelming stress they are forced to hold.  The dogs are there for them to cuddle, to stroke, to lower their blood pressure and reset them to go on.

My dog may not search for bodies, or comfort doctors.  But she is unlike any dog I've ever had.  If you summon her to you and say "feet" - she will lay on your feet to keep them warm.  In the morning, if you say "get your kids" - she runs upstairs eager to wake them.  First "get your boy!" and she darts into his room (only upon command) and leaps onto his bed, then gingerly approaches him and just lays softly across his chest.  This is different than how she awakens her "girl" - with her, she leaps onto her bed and either a) sits on her face or b) licks her profusely until she awakens.  She knows that our son has different needs and a personality that requires more compassion and patience.

She sleeps on the foot of the bed, on my feet, all night.  Every night.  She lays with her head on a pillow.  She is in the middle of the kids playing, overseeing all they do to prevent trouble.  If someone raises their voice, she jumps on them, making sure they know she doesn't approve.

Now, she's not all roses.  She's still a dog, and takes food off plates and steals socks.  She's obsessed with eating our kitchen towels.  And she hates barbies (eats off their feet and hands).  But she's just a baby herself!  And I overlook these idiosyncracies because of all of the other stuff I already mentioned.

I've recently begun running.  And if I go without her, she weeps at the front door.  If I take her, she runs her heart out for 10 minutes or so, then she lays down (see photo above) and will NOT move unless I begin to walk, demonstrating to her that I intend to keep walking, not running.  I don't have the heart to leave her weeping, so I take her almost every time.  Yet I want to run more than 10 minutes.  So this week will be a tough one, leaving her behind more.

This dog has puppy powers over my family.  Last night, as she laid on the floor between our kids who were playing "camp out" with sheets, blankets, pillows, etc. my husband said "This dog had better never die."  Now, she's doesn't have THOSE kinds of powers *that I know of* but, it's true that our world will be upside down when she does.  Hopefully it's 10+ years away - both kids will be out of the house, and she will have raised them to compassionate grown ups who understand why she had to go.  

But until then, this puppy, well, we'll just keep loving her and letting her love us back.