"Please Mommy, please." She pleaded. "Maddie we've already got two at home." I said. "People are going to think I'm some sort of animal collector, or hoarder, or dog lady." She was undeterred and eventually those big green eyes and that pouty bottom lip won me over. If she had just been a bad kid, I might have been able to tell her no, but my daughter never asked for much and never gave us any trouble. So by the end of the day we were proud parents of the cutest little black lab mix puppy you have ever seen. The owners couldn't sell her because she was missing her tail and she had a square shaped butt that looked a lot like a rottweiler's. It was obvious that she wasn't a pure bred and that was one of the things that I loved most about her. It was Sophie's little quirks that made her so special like the way she used her paws. When you petted her, she wanted to pet you right back. She would take her paw and put it on yours. It was so cute. It melted my heart. She was the sweetest, most patient creature. I loved her instantly and she sized me up pretty quick too. Sophie knew from the start that I was a sucker. It's like I have a neon sign on my forehead. They just know.
The counselors at my school have it figured out too. I can tell them no when they call my room attempting to add yet another student to an already overstuffed classroom but when they show up at my door with a sweet little child sporting crocodile sized tears pleading "Mrs. Sloan, please let me in your art class. I don't care if there aren't anymore seats, I'll sit on the floor, please!" they know I'll cave. I end up telling them "Oh alright. I guess there is always room for one more. Here, take my desk."
I found the sweetest little post it note at the end of the semester written by that child that claimed my desk for her own. She carefully covered it with clear tape and adhered it to my desktop in plain view. It said "Thank you Mrs. Sloan for letting me in your art class. You are the best art teacher in the world and I love you!" That one post it started a tradition in my room. Now other students will ask permission to leave a post it note on my desk at the close of the term. I think they like the idea that it is in such a prominent place and I will see it everyday. Those notes warm my heart and make me smile. There are lots of them now and when I go to clean my desk, I have to carefully work around them. So as you can imagine, my work space stays a little dirty and because of the notes, it always looks a bit cluttered. That's ok, I don't mind. I wouldn't trade that clutter for anything in the world!
Sophie left her mark as well but she didn't use post it notes. The carpet succumbed to her after she got a hold of an ink pen and chewed it up leaving an enormous black ink stain in the center of the family room. There were more than a few pairs of shoes lost to her boredom but there were also lots of wet kisses and snuggles, lots of unconditional love and laughs and plenty of butt wiggles. Since she didn't have a tail she just wiggled her whole butt when she was happy. No tail, no problem!
Sophie's favorite way of greeting folks involved a snout to the crotch. Try as I might there was no stopping her when a visitor came to the house. It got so that every man that came to the door on a regular basis began to cover his crotch area with both hands in preparation for Sophie's signature greeting. We had to explain to the newcomers that it was just a lab thing. :) Yes Sophie was a bit of a flirt but her favorite target was my Dad. She loved that man! She knew that he was the weak link and if she worked on him long enough she could have as many snacks as her belly could hold. They were best buds.
Our Sophie died last Thursday from a genetic liver disease. She was only five years old. I miss her so very much. The couch was her territory and it seems empty without her. No one sits there now, not even the other dogs. That was her spot. There is a vacancy next to Michael's chair as well. After telling a colleague about losing Sophie they told me that was why they didn't have dogs anymore, because it hurt too much to lose them. I told the wonderful people at the vet's office the same thing. I said through tears "I guess I shouldn't have anymore dogs because I get too attached." To this they responded "That's exactly why you should."
Love takes courage. Love leaves its mark on your heart whether it be in the form of paw prints or post it notes and sometimes love is messy, but love is always worth it because it changes who we are for the better. I am thankful for the time I had with my darling little dog and as a pay it forward this week Michael and I decided to donate Sophie's medicines and dog food to our local vet's office. Then I remembered that Dr. Ward had told us that there was one other dog in town with the same exact liver disease that Sophie had, only this lucky fellow is responding to the medication. They had caught his in time. Dr. Ward also mentioned in passing that his family could not afford the next phase of treatment. No one knows what they are going through more than we do, so Michael and I decided to use some of the money that we had put aside for Sophie's treatment to help save their dog. We call it the Sophie fund. Maybe the money will allow this other family to enjoy their dog for a little while longer. We will be praying that he continues to do well and that the Sophie fund might be of some help. In the meantime I will give thanks for the two little dogs that I have left at home and I will be forever grateful for the paw prints and the post it notes that find their way into my heart.
Laurie
Heart warming story Laurie. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liza :)
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