Her Favorite Things

The radio host had my full attention. He often talks about subjects that are deeply personal to him, and he might have been speaking directly to me with this one.

Jack Armstrong of Armstrong and Getty had a very old dog, and he was speculating aloud about how he would know when it was time to euthanize his dog. Someone had once told him that a very clear-cut gauge was when a dog could no longer do its two favorite things.

A dog has two favorite things? I didn't know that! I had a very old dog. Did she have two favorite things? Could she still do them?

I thought back to when we'd first brought Shena home 11 years ago. She was two years old, and we were her third family. Her two favorite things then were chasing my cats and digging enormous holes in the backyard. We considered returning her several times, but, for one thing, I'm very stubborn and did not want to admit defeat, and, for the other, we had a very strong feeling that there would not be another chance for her at the shelter.

Shena is a Belgian tervuren mixed with whatever you get at the SPCA. She was big and fluffy and cuddly and sweet and very full of energy.

When we moved to a house with a larger backyard, her two favorite things became chasing squirrels and running circles around the yard. Shena caught quite a few of those squirrels, and that made me very happy. And we were amazed at Shena's speed and agility as she raced around and around the yard. She was so full of joy.

Now that she is over 13 years old, her hearing  and vision are almost gone, and her old legs and hips are too stiff for running. Those darned squirrels sit in the trees and taunt her. Sometimes they even throw things at her.

But does she have joy? Absolutely!

Now her two favorite things are to go for her daily walk and to sit in the back of the car and look out the back window. She knows when we are getting ready to drive to the mountains and waits by the car for somebody to help her get in. And when we exit the freeway, we roll down the window so she can smell the fresh air and the trees.

I feel for Jack Armstrong because I know how hard that decision is to make. We've had to make the decision to say goodbye to some of our furry friends. Somebody we'll need to make that decision again. But not just now. Not as long as I know that Shena has joy.