A Goldendoodle Becomes an Influencer
Imperfections. Imperfections that we notice and others don’t. For about 25 years, I had a ridiculous wart on my right thumb. Nobody would ever know this, except for the funny bump on my teenage fingerprint card.
After my dad died in 1985, age 16 for me and six for my brother, my mom was quite careful with personal safety. As a widowed woman, turned single mother, she tried with all her might to provide a happy, healthy, and safe home. This explains the fingerprint cards.
I was always self-conscious about the wart. I tried for years to get rid of the little guy, and no luck. Finally, in my mid-40’s and after several visits to a dermatologist, the annoying wart was gone! Still, I found myself randomly rubbing my index finger onto my thumb looking for it. Did I miss it? Honestly, I think I did for a time. It sounds so crazy, but it was a part of my life for so long. Something that bugged me actually became part of me; and whenever we lose something, there is a period of time when we miss it.
This couldn’t be truer for a pet. Pets hold an endearing place in their owner’s hearts and at the same time can be a lot of work and annoying at times. I remember our first pet Kurt and I brought home after being married for one year. Zoie, the Labrador Shepherd, was absolutely adorable.
Zoie did everything with us. She was our best buddy and loved to walk, swim in the lake, and play with her dog friends. Now, Zoie did shed a lot of fur, which did grow to become a slight nuisance when we started having children. Fur was everywhere.
We had our sweet Zoie for 10 years, and the day she died left us feeling so empty. What I would give to have our Zoie back and healthy, jumping around. Give me that fur flying around the house; just one more day with our Zoie.
When my sisters and I were younger, we had a black cat named Ebenezer, Ebony for short. That cat ran away (for days) and returned home at least three times. Maybe you can relate to the crazy and yet heartwarming stories of pets. There are many kinds of pets that people own, and dogs are long considered “man’s best friend”.
“You know, a dog can snap you out of any kind of bad mood that you’re in faster than you can think of.” – Jill Abramson, author
Quite possibly you haven’t had a pet. Consider when you are walking out and about and come across a dog, take a moment to ponder what that pet owner could be facing in their life and what a crucial part the pet plays in comfort and companionship. Here is a story of how our dog, Darla, saved our youngest son Evan from a very lonely, sad time in his life.
The youngest of four children, Evan was to become an only child the year his oldest brother got married, and his other two siblings went off to college. It was a big season for us with graduations, a wedding, and more graduations, oh my! Evan had our sweet Border Terrier dog Ellie to keep him company, a desert tortoise, and a bearded dragon. Still, I often thought of getting another dog.
As the story continues, I got a new teaching position that school year. I found myself in an office with now one of my closest friends. As God would only orchestrate, her Golden doodles would be having puppies. The summer before it was to be just Evan and Ellie as the only kids at home (okay, so Ellie is a dog not a kid), Darla the Goldendoodle puppy came home with us!
We could never know how much of an impact this fluffy, joyful puppy would have on not just Evan, but also with Ellie. Darla the Doodle brought out so much life of our elderly doggie, and the two became devoted siblings. Prior to having Darla, our Ellie was the type of dog who didn’t want to be around other dogs. To see that part of Ellie transform with this new puppy at home was one of the most special things to witness.
After two and a half years, the day we never wanted to face came suddenly. Ellie was showing more signs of doggie dementia and seemed needier. Our children were too little to remember when our Zoie died, but saying goodbye to Ellie was shocking to them.
You see, I thought that it was Darla who helped Evan through the lonely first year without his siblings at home, but it was both Darla and Ellie. When Ellie passed away recently, it was a hard hit for our children. I am so thankful we all could be with Ellie to say our goodbyes.
We miss our Ellie so much; Darla especially misses her. I still look around for Ellie like that crazy wart on my thumb. Ellie was a lot of work in her last months, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. A special pet of 13 years taught me to be patient and have more compassion. What a wonderful reminder in applying this to all our relationships, not just our special pets.
Who in your life can use a little more compassion and patience? What we want is just the same, so why not give it our more freely!
Fun fact about getting our dog Darla: Kurt didn’t want another dog, and guess who one of the biggest fans of both Ellie and Darla? Yep, Kurt. During the early days in 2020 of working remotely from home, he even gave them job titles (actual signs):
Vice President of Building Security – Darla (she greets anything that comes near our door, even bunnies) and Director of Food Services – Ellie (she would eat anything and everything)
