My partner, Lana, and I recently adopted two 8-year-old cocker spaniel brothers from a rescue shelter in Tennessee. Why? Two reasons, really.
Louie and Woodrow are brothers, raised together as pups, but ill health had forced their person to give them up and they were in danger of being separated. That’s one reason.
Louie is a big, clumsy, goofy boy with big feet and a big heart who will sit and snuggle for as long as we like. Woodrow has a more serious countenance, and while he’ll hang out on the sofa with us for a little while, he really prefers his own easy chair where he can give serious looks and think serious thoughts and look for all the world like he should be sitting there smoking a serious pipe.
The other reason is Henry.
We adopted Henry, a cocker spaniel from the wrong side of the tracks, who had been badly abused and mistreated, who had no trust in humans and no good reason to. Henry was about 4 years old when he came to us, and the rescue organization we adopted him from told us we were his last chance. He was so hard to handle that if he didn’t get adopted soon he probably wouldn’t live to see five.
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It took awhile to earn Henry’s trust. At first, he wanted to be petted, but after a few moments his distrust would take over and he would begin to growl and nip and pull away. But within moments he would be right back begging for a few seconds of attention before it would overwhelm him again and he would pull away.
At first, trying to bathe him was like trying to bathe a chainsaw that you couldn’t turn off. He would let Lana bathe him but he was quite vocal in his displeasure. He made it clear from the start that he would kill me if I so much as tried.
In 10 years, Henry never learned to enjoy baths but he did tolerate them — from Lana. Most groomers had to sedate him to put their hands on him, although one groomer, Liz Butler, always claimed he was just a big sweetheart. Other than being a bona fide dog whisperer being the only possible explanation, I’m not sure how Liz managed that, but she never sedated Henry and he never tried to bite her fingers off.
Within a few months, after learning that Henry’s bed was all his, that he didn’t have to compete with anyone for Henry’s dinner, and that we loved playing tug-of-war as much as he did (no matter how vicious Henry would sound — that was the one time when his snarls were just part of the game), Henry learned to trust. He always maintained a raw edge, but he did learn to trust and became very curious and friendly.
As the years went by, Henry became as much a part of us as we were. Never enthusiastic about any break in his routine, he still traveled with us and was pretty content just to sit in Lana’s lap as the world went by. He went blind and deaf early, but even after he couldn’t see or hear the world, the only world he needed or wanted was mine or Lana’s hand on his head.
He slowed down dramatically that last couple of years and most of the time we would carry him up or down the stairs that he otherwise had to painfully navigate. He would get lost in a corner or behind a chair and we would have to rescue him as his distressed wails would echo throughout the house.
His needs grew but we loved him completely and maintained him the best we could, and dreaded knowing the day was bearing down when his quality of life would become so diminished that we would have to make the decision to end it.
Thankfully, and at the same time heartbreakingly, we didn’t have to make that decision.
Henry woke up early one morning clearly in distress. He quickly calmed at our touch, but it was evident he wasn’t going to live long. So Lana made a bed of pillows on the floor and lay down with him. For a time, he nestled behind her knees, then moved to her head, lay his head on his paws and looked at her calmly as she stroked his face.
Then, with his nose almost touching hers, he fell asleep, both of them comforting one another as he slipped the mortal bonds and went to wherever it is we imagine our beloved pets go to await our arrival.
Because we loved him so much, we couldn’t stop that love. We may have saved Henry, but who is to say that Henry didn’t also save us? So, to honor him, we took in two brothers who were in danger of being separated.
All their lives, Louie and Woodrow have had each other.
Now, thanks to the love of Henry, they always will.
Anyone wishing to adopt a deserving pet may go online to www.careforanimals.org or call the Jefferson County Humane Society at 870-247-2677.