Needful Things

There are few things in life that we need...
Food
Water
Clothing
Shelter
A solid relationship with God
Family
Friends
A good dog...
(not necessarily in that order)

     I'm probably forgetting something, but recently my Wife, Sherry and I had the discussion about "Needing" another dog. If you've followed my blog or if you know me, you've read or heard about my dog, Luke who was one of the best dogs I've ever had the privilege of sharing this planet with.
     When Luke was first diagnosed with Cancer nearly three years ago, the Vet said that we "needed" to get another dog. His thinking was that it would help Luke deal with his cancer, and it would help our boys deal with the loss once Luke's time came.
     As it turns out, he could not have been more correct. After we found out about Luke's illness, my friend, Jennifer, approached me one day and said that her good friend was having to part with her two dogs due to the dissolution of her marriage. Jennifer then sent me an e-mail from her friend asking if anyone would be interested in taking either her golden retriever, or her lab-shepherd mix, because she could no longer care for them.
     I was intrigued by the retriever, but in the picture that was included with the email, my eyes immediately were drawn to the black and tan, German Shepherd looking dog. She was a beauty! I forwarded the email to my Wife and we discussed it at home with the boys. They saw the picture and were both interested in the retriever.
     I called Jennifer's friend, and she said that she already had someone that wanted the retriever, but if we wanted to come look at "Socks" we could. We all agreed that we'd go meet with Socks the next day. I was skeptical of the German Shepherd part of the mix, because I knew that their breed can sometimes be aggressive, however, I secretly hoped that the Lab part of her would be the dominant part of her personality.
     Our Sons, Dustin and Jared were eager to meet Socks and so I instructed them on how to behave. Especially in Jared's case. Jared loves dogs and is known to throw his arms around them and hug them right to the ground. So I warned him specifically to just stand there with his hand out and let Socks come to him. I told Sherry that how the dog reacted to Jared would be the determining factor as to whether we'd take her home or not.
     We walked into the house and there she was. Shiny black coat and sparkling eyes. She immediately ran to Jared, and because he's short, she was able to slather his face with kisses. Within moments he was on the floor and they were playing together.
     We told the lady that we would call her the next day to let her know our decision, but that we thought we were interested. As I got into the van I asked the boys what they thought. They both agreed that they liked Socks a lot... I turned to Sherry and said "We're stupid if we don't take this dog!"
     Later that afternoon, we called Sock's owner and told them we'd like to have her. She asked if it was okay if she drove her to our house so that she could meet Luke and see what Sock's new living arrangements would be. I readily agreed and thought that it would be good for Luke to meet Socks and her family too.
     Luke could be a handful, but he was the most affable dog ever, never meeting a dog he didn't like. When Socks arrived it was like "Old Home Week." With both dogs licking, sniffing and chasing each other around. (Well, as much as Luke could chase in his condition.) Sock's owner was sad to say goodbye, but happy that Socks would have a good family and a good playmate in Luke.
     Truth be told, Luke "needed" Socks. Socks turned out to be a lifesaver for Luke and I honestly believe that she is what kept him alive nearly two years past his expected "Expiration date" that the Doctors had given him.
     Socks is, according to my Father-in-Law, the most peaceful dog he's ever seen. He's right too...although she looks imposing through the front window of our home as she barks at passers-by, she'd be more likely to lick them to death than to hurt them. This isn't to say she's not protective, but she's a big baby in most cases.
     Socks cannot survive without a human's touch. She can't just be near you...she has to be touched. She'll lick you, nudge you, flop into your lap...you name it.  I've often awakened from naps to find her head on Sherry's pillow, and her nose pressed against my nose. You can look into her eyes and see the love that she feels for you.
     As much as Luke needed her, she needed him as well. When he died last month, she went into a deep depression. She still perked up when we played with her and still wanted to be near to us, but even more so than in the past. She took to staying by herself more and more and seemed restless and tired. You could tell she missed Luke. She even adopted some strange behaviors that she'd never had before that caused us to worry about her some.
     Then the boys, who I knew were sad about losing Luke, started mentioning that they wanted another dog. I, of course, said "No" rather emphatically. Sherry said no too. It was too soon....we didn't want to replace Luke. Jared even put at the top of his Christmas list that he wanted a new puppy...not for him, but for Socks. I asked him why and he said "She's just so sad."  I could see that too, but never thought that a dog, could "need" another dog...even though I'd seen it myself when Luke was sick and he "needed" Socks.
     A few weeks after Luke died, I started looking at dog ads. I don't know why, really. I never had the intention of getting another dog. One day I spotted a few ads for free dogs...some of them were even yellow labs. One dog, specifically, looked just like Luke. I showed Sherry the ad...it kind of bothered her to think of getting a dog that looked so much like Luke...but I was interested, so I called the dog's owner.
     After several days and a couple of left messages, the man called me back. The dog had been given away.
"Sigh."   I looked at a few other ads...Sherry was interested in a full-blooded, full-grown collie...but it too, was taken. We found some black lab puppies listed and called on them, as well as an ad for a two year old yellow lab who didn't really look that much like Luke at all.
     We made appointments to see them both on Sherry's birthday and then  concocted a story to fool the boys into thinking we were going to see some old college friends of mine. "Do they have kids?" Jared asked.
"Three," I answered, not bothering to tell him that they had three Labrador Retrievers.
     When we reached the home of my "College" friends, they led us through the house and told us that their "Kids" were out in the yard. When they opened the door, in poured three, full-sized Labs...two chocolate ones and one yellow (almost white) Lab.
     Dustin smiled at me as if to ask "What's going on here?"
     "Guys," I said to the boys, "Your Mom and I were thinking that you might want to meet this yellow guy...cause he needs a new home.
     "For real?" Jared asked.  I laughed and told them that we'd made an appointment for that afternoon to go see some little six-week old, black labs, so that they had some serious choices to make. I told them while the puppies might be cuter, that the older yellow lab, would be more practical.
     We visited and played for a bit and told the owners that we'd call them back and let them know. They were a nice, elderly couple who Dustin had trouble believing that I'd gone to college with...(Ha!)  That afternoon we saw the black lab pups, who were cute, cuddly little butterballs, but didn't seem to hold as much interest for the boys.
     To the boys credit, they chose the older, yellow lab...who had his shots and had been neutered, which financially was a big selling point for me.
     One week later, we went to pick up "Kevin" (as the boys named him...causing much laughter). Socks greeted him enthusiastically and now, one week after he arrived at our home, they've become best buddies...racing through the snow together, playing with each other's toys and even sharing the same waterbowl.
     It quickly became apparent that Socks had needed something...and that something was Kevin. We too, had a hole in our lives since Luke had passed, and although it had only been a month, it was hurting us all to have him gone.
     Although Kevin isn't a replacement for Luke, he's a new Friend that we've taken in. Kevin has quickly won us over with his youthful playfulness and his calm demeanor. He's a great companion for Socks and follows each of us around from room to room, just wanting to be near. I think he needed us too.

     I know sometimes things come along and you have to ask yourself "Do I really need that?"  In Kevin's case and in Sock's case too, I'd have to say "Yes.."