Because of Daisy
Almost five years ago, I got married. Five years ago, my soon to be husband went in search of a new place to live after our marriage. It had a fenced yard and allowed dogs. You see, I came as a package. Love me - love my mutt…Daisy. Daisy had been my best friend for quite some years, and where I went, she went. So, we had to get a place that allowed dogs and had a fence, because of Daisy.
Our front door screen often doesn’t close completely. So, on days when I was allowing it to be open for fresh air in the house, I kept a close watch - because of Daisy. She’d wait for just the right moment to slip out the door and off she’d go for the romp across the hillside.
So, as Daisy got older, and things slowed down because a wasting illness that overtook her, we’d go for small walks out front. Just enough to get things sniffed. She’d stare off into the distance wistfully, wishing the leash were not part of her attire. If she ran off, she’d need the ride home now, but that didn’t matter. It’d be worth the pain just to be able to run to the places the neighborhood cats had been, or the nearby wildlife. The little walks were nice enough - but the run - the run had always been such an exhilarating thing. Sigh. The little walks with her human, they were nice too. So, she’d lead her human around the little course down the driveway, over to the spot where the racoons go under the fence, over to the neighbor’s kitty smells, slowly back up the hill because the legs just didn’t move like they once did, back around the yard another turn - anything to avoid the stairs and the climb back up into the house. For some reason, those legs just didn’t really feel the same, and climbs were difficult.
Food stopped tasting good. Human food still held an appeal, and for some reason her human had finally gotten the message that begging required a response. Soon, the humans mostly just fixed things for themselves that appealed to Daisy. Energy was low. But, her Lady knew that she’d eat a little bit of cheese, or a piece of toast if tempted enough, so, when things got to be too much trouble to bother with, her human offered the treats without any begging. The last day, even though it wouldn’t stay down, her Lady actually gave her chicken. How often she’d requested this thing, and how little response she’d ever gotten. Now, without even requesting it, her Lady gave her soft pieces of chicken for a treat. What a good Lady. She’d had her for over 10 years, and in these last few, her human had become fairly well-trained after all. She’d always known she had potential, that she’d eventually come around and just do it, because of Daisy. Because it’s what Daisy requested, and she asked for so little. Even when the request was for peace, and a release from the pain that nagged her daily, and this ill feeling - her human did this favor for her too. She knew that she loved her, and that it was difficult, but, because of Daisy, her request was granted. Her Lady will be fine. She has Michael. Michael loves her too. Maybe for not as long as Daisy did, but certainly at least as much. And, he’d been pretty easy to train. Sometimes he forgot things, but her Lady could explain them, and Michael was very good at bringing the right things home. He was a good human. They’ll be fine. Because of Daisy.
