At the beginning of April we had to say goodbye to our beloved family dog, Dodger. He was from hunting lines but as a puppy his breeder determined he was much more of a lover than a hunter and would make a great family dog. When my Mom told me about this puppy I had to go see him for myself. Of course it was love at first sight and as luck would have it Jon was away on a business trip and unavailable to make a rational protest against me bringing him home. Knowing Jon wasn't going to be thrilled with the new addition to our home I named the puppy after his favorite sports team in an attempt to soothe the blow. My doggy wish list had been a large, male, yellow lab. I think he was a lesson in being careful what you wish for - by the time he stopped growing he was over 100 pounds!
Dodger's puppyhood lasted years - he ruined almost every plant in our backyard, dug massive holes anywhere he could, and ate so many sprinklers I lost count. Enter obedience school. I drove him weekly to a town half an hour away, him sticking his head out my Toyota Camry's window slobbering everywhere or attempting to crawl into my lap (mind you this is when he had passed the lap dog maximum weight by quite a bit). Needless to say he did learn a lot in his training - how to sit, stay, come, lay down, wait, and shake. Obedience class was also the location of one of the worst nights of Jon's life. If you ever want to laugh until you cry just ask him about it. Highlights include Dodger having a diarrhea attack in the middle of PetSmart, Jon trying to clean up after him with flimsy paper towels, and some little girls making fun of the entire scene.
Despite Dodger's mistreatment of our backyard and insatiable need to pull with all his might when placed on a leash, he was an amazing dog. We were inseparable for his first few years. He ran on average 15 or so miles a week with me, on weekends in the Summer he joined me and Grandma and Grandpa for long hikes, and he loved coming along with us to Nonna and Pepe's to fetch sticks out of the pond. Grandpa also had the great idea to use Dodger's size and desire to pull, to take him skijoring. He got him a harness, we strapped on cross country skies, and Dodger plowed through snow at an unbelievable pace. It was a blast and I still don't know who had more fun - the dog or the person being pulled.
When I was very pregnant with Reed I told Jon, while looking at a sleeping Dodger, I knew I would love our child more than our dog but I just couldn't imagine what that would feel like because I loved Dodger so much. The first eight or so months of Reed's life were great. Dodger was a perfect dog - happy to still be getting his daily walks, never entering the nursery, putting up with Reed using him as a climbing gym, and very good about waiting on his blanket until told he could lick up crumbs. Then reality hit and it hit hard. We found out Reed was allergic to dogs. I cried a lot. I cried because of the allergy diagnosis but I also cried thinking about what we were going to do with Dodger. I had sworn I wouldn't be one of those people who abandons their dog when a baby comes along but how could we have these two live in harmony? Dodger took the changes in stride, happy to spend his days in the back yard, and excited for his daily walks. There were a few months that he would wait at the back door in the evening wondering why he wasn't being let in but I tried to make up for it by giving him extra attention and treats when I said goodnight.
He was a gentle soul who somehow knew he had to leave Reed alone. When Kieran came along he found a buddy who could pet him and give him more attention and he loved it. I have no doubt that the boys wouldn't have learned to ride bikes nearly as early if they hadn't ridden Striders then bikes daily when we took Dodger for walks. I always joked that Dodger thought he was a human. He was as a big as one and would often perch himself in a patio chair (or on a table), give me a nudge when I was down, or seemed to know when he was getting to come along in the car or sleep in the house on a cold night even though I hadn't said a word.
Dodger was larger than life, a loyal dog, and a true member of our family. Finding out he was sick and watching him decline was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Heartbreaking is an understatement and I still get teary eyed thinking about saying goodbye to our beautiful boy. 11.5 years went by way to fast and we miss him every day, he was the best dog our family could have ever asked for and will always have a special place in our hearts.
