Tag Archives: dogs

A Best Friend–

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Jack’s post this week is sad – –

As many of our friends are now aware, our beloved Bruce left us and crossed the rainbow bridge last Friday after a short illness. I’m of an age now to have outlived a good few dogs and many cats, but the cats are independent and live their lives outside ours, whereas the dogs seem much more dependent, loyal, and trusting. Bruce certainly fit that description!

We had him (or he had us) for over four years, and he was probably around six years old when we got him. His first experience with us was a serious leg operation, which made him very suspicious of animal hospitals afterwards – at least he didn’t blame us. We don’t know much about his early life, but we suspect it wasn’t happy.

He really just had two modes – either sleeping on one of his beds around the house or romping around the backyard like a puppy.

Our good friend Susi Lawson is an excellent and prizewinning photographer, and she started coming to our house for weekly guitar lessons about six months ago. She never goes anywhere without her camera, so we have many lovely pictures of ‘Brucey,’ as she dubbed him. She posted a collection of pictures on Facebook a few days ago plus a very moving tribute which captures well how Bruce was seen by all our friends.

Photos credited to Susi Lawson

“This is a tribute to the most sweetest zen dog I’ve ever met. Bruce (I called him Brucey) He was truly an empath.

He could feel the energy in the room and respond with those big cow eyes just by walking over and leaning against your leg. He once sensed my sadness in a conversation and silently padded over and leaned his head against my arm and looked up at me, as if to say “I’m here for you”. One night Jack and I spontaneously jumped up and danced to a song (it was an old Motown CD) and Bruce jubilantly joined in running around us in a surprising burst of energy. It was sheer joy!

It was obvious that Jack and Wendy loved him dearly and he was their ever present companion.

I grew to love him too and I think he was very fond of me. He knew the sound of my car and would meet me at the door.

He was a good solid presence of the kind of love we all need from one another. He knew when to comfort, when to dance and when to chill.

He was the ultimate zen doggie.”

I don’t think I could put it better!

RIP Brucey

Come back next Wednesday for more from Jack

Dammit–

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Jack gets in over the wire again in time – –

The latest member of the household is beginning to make a nuisance of himself. When ‘Wee Dammit’ first arrived, he lived in our guest room before getting a full medical examination to be sure he was safe around other cats. When he got the all-clear, we left the door open, but he was very reluctant to come down to join us. After all, we had kidnapped him from his happy street life….

That has all changed now. We can’t get him to leave us alone. Which is funny, because at first, he only would interact with us when we were lying flat, in bed. That’s how he learned to get along with Wendy the first week he was in the house; she slept upstairs to socialize him, and he grew accustomed to playing with her feet. When she stood up, he would dive for the nearest dark corner.

So when he first came down, he just slunk around, staying away from all of us and hiding in corners.

Then he discovered Bruce!

With two female cats in the house what’s a guy going to do? He wants to play with the other guy, but the other guy is a dog and is BIG. So wee Dammit runs around the house now trying to play tag with Bruce! He runs back and forward, tapping Bruce’s tail and paws, but Bruce is the most laid back dog on the planet and can’t be bothered. He’s very patient and gives Dammit a weary look now and again—just before Dammit bops him on the nose.

So now Dammit finds Wendy’s balls of yarn and carries them all around the house as though they were captured mice. Eventually I find them, soggy with saliva (we hope), and return them to their original place.

But I can hear you asking – why is he called Dammit? A few months ago Wendy was heading to the store and saw a small kitten wandering around an intersection. She happened to have a cat carrier in the car (well, of course) but couldn’t get it in. She came home and got a can of cat food. While he was eating she snatched him up and said, “Dammit, get in the car.”

We had agreed to not have any more cats for a while, so when she brought in another one I said, “DAMMIT.”

And she said, “I totally agree.”

When I took him to the animal clinic to get checked over they asked what his name was – – –

Come back next Wednesday for more from Jack