A tribute to an old friend

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This weekend marks the 5-year anniversary of putting down my favorite childhood dog, Bullet.

Bullet, the family favorite.

I know I’ve written about this black lab before, but I was telling a friend the other day that Hines has some of the same characteristics that Bullet did, and in fact, I’ve always believed that maybe ­– maybe – Hines has Bullet’s spirit. Maybe God knew I loved Bullet so much that he put a piece of his personality into Hines. And then coincidentally placed Hines at the Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society (Now Homeward Animal Shelter) on a day I happened to visit, and then had him miraculously return again four months later after I was too skittish to take him away at our initial meeting.
Is that a crazy thought? It probably is, but I get great satisfaction out of believing in things that can’t be disproven (I still believe in Santa), and this is one of my favorite beliefs.
Anyway, they have similar mannerisms, like that look between sheer desperation and total willingness to eat whenever and whatever I’m eating. That full-body excitement when I lace up my shoes, and that willing attitude to deal with my­ antics just to make me happy. You know, things like letting me dress them up in old lady dresses, laughing as I flick marshmallows all over the kitchen floor as they desperately try to track them down, making them “pose” in the studio so I can
Hines somewhat willingly sits for a session at Stoneburner Studios.

practice my photography, and, embarrassingly, putting up with the overly-abrupt jerk of a leash when in fact, I’m the one having a bad day.
Anyway, we dog lovers know what it’s like to lose one, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, be prepared. It’s

much more difficult than you’d expect. It will leave you awkwardly sobbing for an hour too long after watching Marley & Me. You’ll long to touch their soft fur again, miss their window art and the daily laughter they provide all at the low cost of a 40-pound bag of dog acheter cialis france food every month.
But it’s all worth it. Our 4-legged friends are only meant to be with us for a limited amount of time. Maybe it’s so it doesn’t feel like a dragged out marriage, or because too much of a good thing isn’t good anymore. I don’t know, but let’s be thankful for the times we do have, raise our glasses and celebrate the pups chasing rabbits in heaven right now. We’ll cheers to the cats tomorrow.
Shootin’ the Wit is a sporadic blog about everyday life that should never, ever be taken too seriously.