Leona’s Life Changes
9-10-2013: As so often happens life changes and with that change Leona moves on to the next chapter in her life
This morning when we got up something seemed different. I saw tears in my Man’s eyes when he looked at me. He had taken me to see the vet some time back and had others look me over. Whatever it was they had said to my Man he had not liked. I could tell by the way he looked at me afterwards. While often he would hold me the times after that the hugs seemed to have a different meaning.
A couple of weeks ago a nice lady had come to our house. I was special, I got to leave the house and go for a walk with her. There were none of those big dogs with us, and she only paid attention to me. I was hoping that The Man would keep her, but she left. I stood at the door, and I was confused. I knew that this Lady belonged to me, but she was gone.
Well that brings us to this day. We got up and The Man loaded all of us up in our car. We do this sort of thing a lot when we are going for hikes and all of us love the rides. This time we stopped and two more people got in the car with us. I heard them talking about going to Crater Lake. I had never been to Crater Lake, but it sounded fun.
We drove for a very long time and finally The Man turned the car down a dirt road. We went a little ways and he let us all jump out. This place was so different. There were red rocks everywhere. The Man called them cinders. We ran and played together. We were having so much fun. I can almost keep up with the big dogs when we run now. Soon we had to leave, and I heard the people say the next stop was Crater Lake.
When our car stopped I looked outside the window. My Man was out there with those others that rode with us. Windows are hard for puppies to look out, but there was another person out there that I thought I knew. It seemed like it took forever, but finally The Man came to the back of the car to let us out.
Instead of letting us all out The Man only let me get out. Of course that makes perfectly good sense and I was happy The Man finally learned that I am special. When he reached for me to put the leash on I smelled something different. I knew that smell from before. It was the smell of that Lady.
As the leash went on my neck I looked around to see if I could find the Lady. I can smell things faster than I see them, but I wanted to see if she was here. Maybe today she was going to come live with us. When I finally saw her I could tell how happy she was to see me. She had another man with her today also, and he was smiling at me. Of course I had to go greet them.
My Man gave the Lady my leash when we got next to her. I looked and saw he was about to cry. This was confusing to me. This should be a happy time, after all the Lady was here and she is my friend. My Man should be happy that one of my friends is here too.
After I greeted her I decided we were not walking right now. The humans sometimes stand and waste so much time talking. There are important things to check out, but they seem so slow moving at times. I found a soft place to lay down, on top of the Lady’s feet. I like laying on feet.
When I looked at my Man I could see something was different. It was then I knew what was going on. The Lady was not going to move in with us after all. Instead I was going to go live with her. This made so much sense to me. I know this Lady needed me to help her. She had no other dogs to help her, and my Man has lots of dogs. They are not as special as me, but they are a good pack. Maybe someday they will get him trained right. I could do it faster, but this Lady needed me. When I looked into her eyes I also knew that I needed her.
When I looked over at The Man I could see how sad he was. As his eyes met mine I let him know that he was going to be OK without me. I had helped him to be strong and good. I had shown him love, affection and how a little devil dog could act. I had played with him and given him a good life while I was there. It was the best I could do, and I know it was enough. I told him in that brief moment that he was going to be just fine without me.
I now have a new mission in life. My new Lady needs a walking companion to help her. I like to walk, and I will take her out any time she wants to go. I will love her and take care of her the best that I can. Even if something goes wrong on accident I will forgive her and love her. That is what I do best. I know that this is my purpose in life at this point in time. Again I looked back to the man and let him know that I would live up to all he expected of me and more. After all I am an English Springer Spaniel puppy and I am amazing. This is the moment when I fulfill my true destiny. Dear man who cared for me from the minute I was born, you will be OK without me.
Author’s Note: One of the challenges we face as a breeder is finding dogs that are suitable for breeding. A dog can be perfectly healthy, but not a good choice for breeding. This was the case for Leona. What is even more amazing about this was the home she went to. Leona needed a home in which she would be able to walk. Her new owner needed a puppy to help keep her motivated to walk as well. We cannot plan for these matches to take place, but so often we see them unfold before our eyes.
Leona, I love you and miss you so much. Nevertheless, I know you are doing what you were created for, and doing it better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks little girl for being part of our lives for a few short months.