Tragedy Strikes

This afternoon I came home from school like I do everyday. I looked out back and both the dogs were sleeping on the back porch. I went for my run, like I always do. I showered afterwards, like I always do. Then I headed outside to get the dogs so that they could get the mail with me, like we always do. Bear jumped up right away when he saw me. Hazel was still sleeping. I called her name. Once. Twice. Three times. I started to get worried. I bent down to shake her awake, but she was stiff and cold. "Hazel!" I heard myself yelling her name over and over but she wouldn't get up. I felt the awful truth fall over me. I ran inside sobbing. I called my dad, trying to tell him this tragedy but my words were incomprehensible through my crying. He confirmed Hazel's death when he got home. I could only sit there in shock, the tears dried on my face. He took her body to the vet for them to cremate her. 

I couldn't believe that she was just gone. No warning signs. She was barely six years old. No known health problems. Nothing. We have no idea how it happened. She was just taken from us. 

I distracted myself with homework in an attempt to fight back my despair. But, when I tried to go to sleep I couldn't stop all the thoughts from bombarding me. I'll never take her on another walk. I'll never see her chase the deer. I'll never watch her play and wrestle with Bear. I'll never get to see her fall asleep, her chew toy still in her mouth. I'll never get to do a lot of things with her and I hate that.

She was technically my sister's dog but that didn't stop me from loving her. I considered her my dog after my sister went off to college. I've never been an emotional person but right now I can't stop crying. She may have only been a pet, but at my age she may as well have been my version of a child. I helped raise her, train her, teach her to fetch and swim and shake.  I feel like a part of me died along with her. I know this will all get easier with time but every time I look at Bear now, I'm reminded of her. They were inseparable. Two peas in a pod. Its hard to look at Bear and know Hazel isn't right behind him. As tough as it is, its made me love Bear that much more. Knowing what could happen makes me want to give him all the love I can whenever I can. 

So, this is in memory of Hazel... I know she'll be sorely missed by my whole family.

My Dogs... are Weird

This afternoon, while I was sitting in my room, I came to the conclusion that I was bored. Bored out of my mind. As any other kid, I do love the weekends. The brief relief from the chaos of school and all that tedious busy work teachers assign is great. Don't get me wrong. However, where basketball and work used to take up all my free time, I now find myself with an excess of it now that basketball is over. I still work, but I already worked my 20 hours during the weekdays. So, having completed all my major homework assignments on Saturday, I had a whole day with literally nothing on the agenda.

I wandered downstairs looking for some exciting activity to magically present itself. I glanced out the window and saw my dogs sunbathing on the back porch. Now, my dogs love any and every opportunity to come inside the house. What's weird is as much as they love coming inside, they love going into the front yard even more. I'll never understand it. They spend maybe 7/8 of their day outside but the front yard is like the undiscovered utopia to them. Being the generous soul I am (not to mention the person with nothing to do) I decided to take them out front.

The second they got into the front yard, they shot out across the lawn trying to sniff up every inch of it. I stood on the edge of the yard to supervise and get some brief, but much needed, sun. Hazel, the girl golden retriever, loves to search for deer poop. I find it to be disgusting but whatever floats her boat, I guess. Bear, the boy golden retriever, generally just wanders around aimlessly not doing much of anything.

As I’m watching my dogs have the time of their life (Hazel is currently running in small circles in excitement), I hear a voice next door. A little girl has spotted my ecstatic dogs and shouts out, “Daddy look at the cute puppies! I want to pet them!!” Her dad, not seeing me standing in the shadows immediately rejects the idea. His response is, “Those dogs are loose. They could have rabies!” In my mind I’m admiring this man’s responsibility to his daughter’s well being until he adds, “Look at that one running in circles…it must have some kind of brain damage.”

Suddenly I’m a little angry. Hazel may be a goof but that shouldn’t be conducive of brain damage. I think, “I should set my dogs on that rude man!” Of course my dogs would just lick and slobber on the man… hardly the desired result I want. Oh well. It’s probably all for the best.

Besides, is this the face of a killer?

(Bear)