A Love Story

I have been outside in the sun most of this morning. RC is lying in the sun and it’s a raw human pleasure to simply sit in the grass beside him and feel the heat on his shiny brown coat. He has a beautiful coat of hair which pays no witness whatsoever to his age. He is in his fifteenth year and how fast they have flown. Aside from eating, lying fully stretched out in the sun is his greatest pleasure in life.

I have written before about him and the day he moved onto our farm in Oregon. He did it with great joy and abandonment as he has done with all things in his life. He has always done as he was told and never seemed to want anything different than what we wanted him to be and do.

He became very ill somewhere around his fourth year and we had no idea what could be wrong with him. He seemed to fail by the hour and by the time we got him to the vet, we held little hope for his recovery. He had salmon poisoning which is very common in dogs who live near water in this part of the country. He did pull through and, thankfully, it is one of those illnesses which cannot be repeated. Other than that, he has been the most healthy of animals. The vet commented once that every dog should have teeth as beautiful and clean as RC’s. He has never had his teeth brushed nor cleaned.

RC has not a prejudiced bone in his body and for many years on the farm he had roommates – a Rhodes Island Red hen and Tilly, one of our barn cats. The old hen moved out of the henhouse of her own accord and we just figured it was too crowded for her. She moved into the old shed where we stored hay until our barn was built. She lived on a cross section of wood which ran directly beside RC’s doghouse and he was very kind about sharing his food with her. It was not uncommon to see both of them eating out of his bowl at the same time. An added benefit was that she never had to worry about coyotes, coons or possuums.

Somewhere along the line and without apparent cause, Tilly moved out of the new barn and moved right into the doghouse with RC. They were the closest of friends and shared a bond which was obvious to all who observed them. RC could be seen on most days lying in the door of his house, front paws extended and Tilly sound asleep between them. What a pair they made. Everyone, people and animals alike, have always been drawn to RC and his light – he is pure love.

When we sold the farm and moved to the city, RC made the move like a pro. He began to share his bounty of love with all the neighborhood and anyone who visited the neighborhood. Everyone knows his name and everyone loves him.

For a short while now, we have had to help RC stand up and he often falls while walking. His hips have just given out and can no longer support him. He’s had some seizures which have left him with a form of dementia and he often seems unsure of where he is or what is going on around him. He sleeps in the utility room at night where it’s warm and cozy.

Last night George woke up to RC’s howling and went down to check on him. He helped him outside and waited for him to do his business. A while later RC began to howl again and this time George went down to find he had lost control of his bowels on the floor. I never even knew it until he return to bed after cleaning everything and getting RC resettled. Then this morning he fell down while eating his breakfast.

We cannot continue to ignore the obvious. We knew it was coming and I suppose we felt when the time arrived it would be so right that it would somehow not be so hard. We were wrong. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I have prayed all day today that he would go peacefully in his sleep there in the sun, but it doesn’t seem it will be that easy.

This is our last day with RC and I am so thankful and it seems so fitting that the sun is shining.