Oreo: The Dog Who Owned Part of My Heart

I remember the first time I ever saw Oreo. I promised my son he’d get a dog once we bought our house. It was now just the two of us and I wanted him to have his own room; his own yard. That just led to having his own dog.
 
The moment we entered the kennel all the dogs started jumping in their cages. The word was out, “Someone was going to leave the kennel with this little boy!” Every dog pranced and wiggled, looking adorable, except for the puppy in the cage all alone on the far left of the kennel.
 
She was so cute but looked so sad. That sad (but cute) face won us over immediately. No doubt about it, this puppy needed a boy—as well as a boy’s mom—to love. We decided to take her home with us then and there, and quickly she became a member of the family. It didn’t take long for us to fall into a wonderful routine. She greeted me every day after work with stories of her day. She spoke her words with her eyes, a wag of her tail and a special ‘welcome home bark’; telling me how her day was filled with excitement. She was all about pointing out the activity in the neighborhood. “Really”, I’d say, “There’s a new kitty across the street? Let’s wait for her.” We’d sit on the couch and look out the window, waiting for the newest tabby to venture into our yard.
 
When time allowed, it was always a treat for both of us to curl up on the couch and take a nap, me on one end and she on the other. She’d wrap herself into the folds of the blankets around my legs like a glove. We fit together so perfectly.
 
Oreo was also an ever-vigilant protector. She announced everyone who entered our yard. As if to keep me safe, she always put herself between me and other dogs on our walks. Her sense of loyalty and responsibility was beyond measure. But it wasn’t just me. Once she knew you were part of the extended family, she watched your back, too. When my son’s friends spent hour after hour at our house … the place where all the kids hung out … she became territorial over them as well. No one ever thought of causing these boys any harm when she was there. She was all about family.
 
But time passes and her ferociousness waned. She began to spend more and more of her days in her favorite chair, sleeping or just looking out the window. Even new kitties stopped exciting her. Life had slowed down for my friend. The only constant was that she still wanted to tell me about her day when I came in after work. Her news wasn’t as grand as it had been in years past, but she wanted to share everything with me. The day came, however, when she no longer came to greet me. She stayed in her chair. She welcomed a scratch of the ear and a smile from those she loved, but without a word of warning, she entered her winter years of life.
 
Her chair is empty now.
 
On that sunny day in September, I thought it was a great idea to get a dog for my son. I wanted him to experience the joys and responsibilities of owning a dog. I had no idea she would also forever own a place in my heart as well.
 
reposted from November 21, 2011, The Loss of a Good Friend.