HE DIDN’T WANT A DOG by Pennie Hunt

My brother didn’t want a dog. He didn’t pick him out at a pet store or receive him as a Christmas gift. He came to my brother, Martin, as a temporary houseguest. His stepson was going to visit and asked if he could bring his 2-year-old dog, Knuckles. My brother agreed to a short visit if the dog stayed off the furniture.
 
A few days into the visit, Knuckles broke the rules by jumping onto the couch landing right next to my brother and laying his head softly on my brother’s lap. Martin’s blue eyes locked with the beautiful brown eyes of a dog. It took one eyebrow lift from Knuckles (which became his signature move) and Martin was in love. In that moment Knuckles was home. In that moment Knuckles, Martin, and his wife Julie became a family.
 
Julie became the dog mom that gave Knuckles baths, brushed his teeth, gave him his medicine, pulled stickers from his paws, and did physical therapy with him after his leg ligament surgery.
 
Martin and Knuckles became inseparable adventure buddies. Their daily hikes always included chasing squirrels. On lake days, Knuckles would lay in the back of the boat and watch Martin waterski and fish. They were best friends, comrades, and confidants. Martin was Knuckle’s Person, his man, his leader. And Knuckles was Martin’s best buddy, his good boy, his dog child.
 
Dogs don’t love in a flashy Valentine kind of way. A dog’s love is steady, solid, and unshakeable. Dogs don’t have to speak because love and loyalty come through their actions and not words. Knuckles was always right next to Martin ready to play, ready to help him shovel snow, ready to support and love him, and always ready to please him. Knuckles and Martin shared a mutual devotion to each other. An understanding that they were in this life together, connected with the binding of trust.
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If you are a dog person, there is always that one dog. The one that stands out from the others. The one that can lift one eyebrow and change your life. The one that sits by you through the dark times and runs with you in the light. The one that is your soul dog, sent to you in an unusual or mysterious way. The one that is undeniably meant to be with you.
 
My brother didn’t want a dog. Not because he didn’t love dogs, but because he knew he would love it too much. He didn’t want the heart crushing pain of saying goodbye. In the last months of having Knuckles, when arthritis and age kept him from walking, my brother selflessly carried all 50lbs of him where he needed to go. When the medicine could no longer alleviate the pain in Knuckle’s joints, my brother would lay on the floor with him as they both cried.
 
The goodbye was painful. With Martin and Julie by his side, my brother held his hand on Knuckles chest feeling love through the beat of his heart. The all-familiar rhythm pushed love into Martin’s hand, beat after beat… until it stopped.
 
Martin and Julie welcomed Knuckles into their home when he was sent to them in an unusual, (possibly mysterious) way. Maybe it was his assignment to be Martin’s best buddy. Maybe it was his job to teach Martin it was okay to open your heart and love deeply – even if the time together was not long enough.
 
Dogs are not gone when the bowls are put away and the last of the fur has been vacuumed. They linger in your life with every breeze of wind, with every hike, with every new puppy kiss or bark you hear from another dog. They remain imprinted in your heart, in a photo on your mantel, or tattooed on your arm. They leave us with the memory of their love, trust, and loyalty – more than we deserve and too much for us to ever repay.  

And when just for a moment you forget your pain and reach down to pet them, but your hand finds only air, they are there- just out of your sight. You see, their job is not complete. They are patiently waiting for when the time is right, and they are once again by your side.

My brother didn’t want a dog.
What he didn’t know was that he needed one.
Job well done, Knuckles.
Job well done.
                              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                 When you open your heart to love a dog-
                               it seems like a short time, but it is forever. 
                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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YOUR TURN...        
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