Day of Remembrance

Memorial Day, the day of remembrance, I want to remember the dogs that are my foundation dogs – the dogs that taught me how easy it is to fall in love with dogs.  I was a friend with Lucky when I was about 4 years old.  Lucky was a black American Cocker Spaniel and is the reason I have had a love affair all my life with spaniels.  My memories are of going outside in our backyard and looking toward Lucky’s house – the Schultz’s – and yelling “Lucky, Lucky!”  The Schultz’s backdoor would open and out would come Lucky.  We would greet each other with squeals of delight, kisses, and lots of petting on my part.  Oh how I loved Lucky.  We seemed to be in our own world playing together, but I am sure my parents were keeping a close watch because they performed what I believe to be the most essential jobs of parents.  They didn’t neglect me, physically or sexually abuse me, and they protected me from all forms of outside the home abuse.  Lucky – I remember you with great fondness.

Several years later when my family had moved to the country, my father brought home from work an 8-week-old Beagle that we named Itchy.  Itchy and I were the best of friends.  I remember trying to do obedience training with Itchy, although I didn’t know it as obedience.  I just knew that I wanted Itchy to be well behaved.  So, I would take Itchy out for walks and practice the things important to me – walking with me and not pulling on the lease, stopping when I stopped, and starting when I started.  Not bad for a little girl with no adult direction on obedience training.  I still have dreams of being reunited with Itchy.  He definitely stole my heart.

My dogs I remember from adulthood are Maddy (a rescued all American), Sherlock H. Stiles (English Springer Spaniel named for the great fictional deceive, Sherlock Holmes and nicknamed Locky as a homage to Lucky), Molly Dogpaw (rescued English Springer Spaniel named for fictional Cherokee detective Molly Bearpaw), and Sam Spade (rescued Beagle named for Dashiell Hammett’s great detective).   May you remember on this Memorial Day the dogs that taught you all you needed to know about life – the love of a dog.