Gabrielle's entry into our household
Was a strange one:
My mother awoke and declared
That she'd had a dream
That she'd gotten a dog
Born on her mother's birthday.
After breakfast, she called Puppy City
To inquire if they had any
Cocker Spaniel litters.
"And what day were the puppies born?" she asked.
"January 27th," she repeated aloud.
Her mother's birthday.
We had been without a dog in the house for six months.
We piled into car service as quickly as we could dress.
Gabrielle was a hit with everyone in the house
From her first moments.
As a puppy, she had spunk and personality
That she still possesses over eleven years later.
She had a penchant for eating paper,
And other odds and ends that fell to the floor,
Having eaten $85 dollars,
A zipper off a jacket,
A pack of cigarettes,
A pocket Bible,
My awesome Bose headphones,
Needle and thread,
Countless napkins, tissues, paper towels,
Countless, helpless dog toys,
And various other oddities over the years.
Gabrielle was greatly loved by my mom.
We had one of those depressing
"If something ever happens to me" conversations
About the dog.
We were standing on the low point of the lawn
In front of the House on the Hill
When my mother told me,
"If anything ever happens to me,
I want
you to take Gabrielle."
"Ma!" I exclaimed,
Unable to wrap my brain around the unspoken inevitable.
"Promise me!" she demanded, eyes fiery.
"I promise," I told her,
Never thinking that Gabrielle's lifespan
Would chronologically outpace my mother's.
Her life can be divided up into distinct stages.
Stage 1: Puppyhood.
Frolicking with Mommie.
Waking moments spent shadowing my mom,
Always interested in everything she did
(Except vacuum, which Gabrielle hated.)
Amassing a vocabulary better than most humans.
Hanging with my mother, mom's friend Harry,
My sister, me, and our friends and significant others at the time.
Late summers and falls spent Upstate
Rolling in leaves and walking the hills.
Stage 2: Upheaval
Mommie passes.
The house undergoes a radical transformation
As my sister and I struggle with the unexpected pressures
Of home ownership.
The tension is so thick
You can cut it with a knife.
Gabrielle mourns,
As do we.
We short-sale the house,
And my panicking sister, not knowing what to do with the pets,
Threatens the dog with death.
Dogknappings ensue.
I wind up with Gabrielle, the Pugs, and my two cats
In an apartment ten houses away from Heidi.
It is the first peace any of us have known
In three years.
Stage 3: Boredom
Life in my apartment
Is dull for sure.
I work too many hours,
Both in and out of the apartment.
Time off is spent running around
Doing all the things I can't do
On account of work.
I try to make up for it
In the early mornings and evenings
With walks
Time spent in Heidi's backyard,
And many nights splitting my sleep
Between the cats in the bed
And the dogs on the couch.
I lose Baby,
My older cat,
And am left with four to tend to.
When the time comes to relocate,
The dogs are split up.
The Pugs stay in New York,
As pugs can't fly,
And wind up ultimately
(To my mild dismay)
With my sister once again.
Gabrielle, Simba and I
Fly to Arizona.
Stage 4: Retirement
Arizona sun and heat.
A beautiful, plush lawn to walk upon.
Nighttime walks on the golf course in good weather.
Lots of toys to destroy.
Lots of things to bark at
As vacuums whiz by,
Doorbells ring,
Different people enter the house,
And parrots scream.
Best of all,
Someone to stalk and follow
And pay attention to
As the dog naturally gravitates to Adalheid
In the same way that she did to my mom.
Ahhhhhhhh,
The good life at last,
My beautiful Gabrielle!
Prior to her most recent back injury,
Gabrielle was bouncing around more like a puppy
Than an eleven-year-old dog.
Due to her back injury,
And subsequent issues,
She has slowed down a little,
And I wonder if she will ever totally recapture
That energy and spark.
She's been giving us a problem with eating.
Upon taking her to the vet,
And taking x-rays,
Suspicious lesions were noted in her lungs.
We asked the vet to compare these most recent x-rays
With the ones from last year.
We are waiting.
We are praying.
When her lungs were commented upon last year,
I asked You to just let me get Gabrielle
Here to Arizona,
To get at least one more good year out of her.
You granted my prayer,
And I am thankful for it.
I ask again for more time with her,
Quality time for the dog
Enjoying her retirement in the Arizona sun.
Psalm 50: 10-11 (KJV)
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
All things that have breath are Yours, Lord.
You place us as stewards over them,
To care for them,
But at the time You determine,
Their breath leaves them and returns to You.
Whatever is in store for Gabrielle,
And consequently us,
Help us care for her well,
And help us know when
That breath of life
Is to be returned to You...
