December 20th 2023 Part II
I left you hanging with Part I – and I shall continue; because the events in Parts’ I and II lead up to the culmination of that day. They are the rising action for all you English buffs.
My father in law had two dogs; Salty and Zoey. Salty was a schnoodle (I believe). But was also his ride or die. Salty lived with him during his time in Las Vegas and then here in Michigan. When I say that Salty was his ride or die, I mean this dog would sacrifice golf cart rides to be home with his “daddy”. Literally, we were at the campground and went to give the dogs a ride and he jumped off mid-ride to run back to my father in law. Now don’t be fooled by this cute story and his cute breed…
Salty was a jackass. He was an ankle biter – but had no teeth – literally, they rotted out. He was forever trying to grab pant legs and nip your feet. Now he would nip at me to give kisses and it was actually the scariest but cutest thing. I gave him the nickname him Salty Walter; after Walter Matthau in Grumpier Old Men. He also carried the nickname of my “Ole Man” – because he was. That dog was in his 20’s and literally survived on bologna and leftovers until he took up residency with us. Note the word residency; it definitely comes into play.
For years I always promised that if anything happened to my father in law that I would take Salty. I never knew that promise would be upheld. Sadly in December of 2020 we lost my father in law to a short battle with Covid. Within 12 days I became a dog mom to Salty and Zoey.
Honestly, I didn’t think Salty would live very long. After all, his best friend left with the familiar promise “Daddy’ll be back soon.” and never returned. He was forced into our home; it was loud – there were kids. His most detested thing. He hated us and made it known. We were just the place he was forced to live before he passed. He even tried to run away. (I swear on more than one occasion I worried he was a goner) We treated him to a grooming session when we first brought him home……when we went to pick him up he bolted. My son and I had to chase him around her yard worrying the entire time he would jet into a busy highway.
I like to believe that I gave Salty a life that he longed for. He eventually softened a little bit. He began to eat regular meals that included dog food. He LOVED treats and because he had no teeth when he would get cookies he licked the yogurt and left the cookie for Zoey. He would go on car rides and liked to be outside sunbathing. He loved walks and could walk forever, even at his age. He had the funniest prance…. He was never professionally groomed after that first incident. A friend fondly said he had dreads – so I rolled with it.
I began to notice he was ailing; but again at his age and his story, it was bound to happen. Never did I think I would have 3 years with him. And even in his passing he was gracious. He fell asleep in front of the fireplace and passed with one peaceful breathe. I like to think he was reunited with my father in law. That he was fed his beloved bologna and went for a golf cart ride.
I think we both healed each other. We both lost our best friend without warning. We lost the one constant. We lost predictability. We were forced to change. We found comfort in each other. When I was heartbroken he gave me a purpose, a distraction – similar to a shiny new toy.
He was laid to rest and I spent that day flooding my Facebook and TikTok feeds with heart breaking posts and pictures. I was devastated. I had lost my Ole Man. The one who greeted me like I was the world.
Going into Part III keep in mind the time frame:
Part I : Late evening – transitioning into the am of 12/21
Part II: 10 ish am in the morning
Photo Credit: Salty Walter living the best life during a Michigan summer.