BY JOELLEN COLLINS
I am a sucker for dogs, almost any kind, but now I need them small enough to live in condos or apartments with someone who cannot take them on exciting hikes. Animal lovers may puff a bit at what may not seem to promote the happiest canine life, but if overwhelming love and pride for one’s pet counts, then I feel O.K.
I have had doggies most of my life. Always needing affection, again I chose a dog who seems to understand my obvious love for her and surely lets me know she’s happy I’m nearby. As we age, we naturally lose access to many sources of comfort, a natural part of living long, full lives, but I am fortunate to have Suki, my now 14-year-old blend of small poodle and terrier, a rescue dog born in the Wood River Valley and, thank God, still with me – both now “elders.”
I live in a senior group environment housing few pets, but Suki is welcome almost everywhere except kitchens and restaurants. My fellow residents often take time to pet her or acknowledge her lively personality and friendliness. Until this winter, a fine neighbor stopped by every morning on his way to breakfast, rang a bell out on my patio, and gave Suki a morning treat. I couldn’t let this continue only because I worried about his falling on slippery concrete. Still his buddy, she loves to sit by his feet for our weekly events and music. Today I swear she was moving her paws as if in a dance.
I am writing about her because yesterday I experienced one of the sweetest moments of our years together. I was outside on a patio couch enjoying the peace and warm weather, when a friend came over and sat next to me. She has undergone ailments and traumas and found ways to live with things most people would not survive: I honor her for her strength, smile and the will to carry on without bitterness. Suki has never been a dog who jumps up to sit by anyone but me, and, unless it is my bed she seeks, generally stays on the floor. After a few minutes, she leapt up next to my friend, cuddled up by her leg, and put her face where she could gaze at her. She retained this affectionate behavior until we had to rise. I have rarely been with someone to whom she has given love in this way. Later, my friend and I discussed how moved we were that she responded so sympathetically to someone who carries great sadness inside. Suki sensed her situation.
Ironically, while this was going on, there was a death in her family, in another state, about which she had no knowledge.
