 |
| Zak II |
Bradley A. McClain, a local funeral director, posted this on Facebook. After I got done sniffling about it, I asked him if I could use it here, because we all need some help from our friends sometimes.
Enjoy, and thanks, Brad.
This is Zak II. He is
old, smelly, has two teeth, and is about the pickiest eater ever. He came to me from a
rescue shelter after he was taken from a home with 108 dogs. He was number
47. His back leg was broken at some point and it healed crooked, so when he
runs, he has to hop to make his back end keep up with the front. He has a
fistula in his mouth that runs up to his nose which makes him whistle if he
sleeps on his left side...which is absolutely impossible to sleep next to.
He is the most lovable
old man dog I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He's stubborn and
annoying, especially when another animal has one of his toys. He prefers to
only do his number two at the office yard, so I sometimes have to drive him 8.7
miles to go. Of course, this is because he's figured out this is an absolute
certain method of manipulation to get to go for a car ride―with the heated seat
turned on.
He loves almost
everybody at work and likes to snuggle with people that are having a bad day.
At least until the dreaded "brown man" shows up at the door, and he
turns all rabid-Rottweiler on the UPS guy, wanting to shred his legs and make
sure that he never terrorizes our place of business again. We really don't know
why he hates the UPS man, but it's something he is absolutely dedicated to in
his beliefs.
When I get up to go to
the bathroom in the night, he steals my warm spot and all my pillows and
burrows down in an effort to hide himself in the warmth. He usually wins and I
go to his side of the bed to not disturb his happiness. He sleeps all night in the
same position, and doesn't get out of bed until after I've showered and put my
socks on, enjoying each second of blessed rest before absolutely having to
extract himself from the comforts of his queen size bed, which he allows me a
portion of most nights.
He flirts with all the
drive-through servers in town, with an extraordinary ability to get a free
small French fry or chicken nugget. The bank tellers know him by name, and he
expects that drawer to contain a biscuit when it returns my deposit slip. He
has made friends with several other delivery persons, one of whom even has a
special bag of soft treats for his toothless self to enjoy. He has trained the
humans at the office to feed him with a fork―it's easier for him than sliding a
plate all over trying to pick up food without his choppers. He is devastated
when dinner arrives via take out and there is nothing for him in the bag.
 |
| Zak II and Brad |
He is old, he has his
issues, but I couldn't love any bag of fleas any more than this mongrel. He's
faithful and steady in his friendship, and when I've had an emotional day, he
knows just how to snuggle to make things better. His best friend is the cat
that snuggles up to him nightly and gives him a good bath around two am. He
catches the "slow" squirrel in front of my house every couple of
weeks, licks his face, and lets him go.
Tonight, I lay here
snuggling with the old mutt and thinking how thankful I am for his loyalty, his
friendship, his forgiveness, and his love. I should probably take a few lessons
from him, as he is a great example of how man should live. Try to love
unconditionally, forgive and let go when necessary, remove and drive away the
toxic people in your life so that you can be happier. Enjoy the simple
blessings (like car rides and treats), rise above your afflictions, and move on
from past struggles. Know when you need the care of others and when to snuggle
and love those who are broken. Rest as needed, share (well, everything but
special toys), and do everything faithfully and with conviction.
Lessons from Zak II.
No comments:
Post a Comment