Reunion

Bandit and Poncho. 
These two were tight.   Slept together.  Ate together.  Lived together for many years.
His best friend made the journey a few years ahead of him to scout out the best open fields and cow manure piles to roll in, the best trails to hike, the best tails to sniff,  and the coolest grass to laze about in the sun…..just like the good ol’ days.

This week, Bandit made that same journey.   He has been ours for over 14 years.   He made 4 moves with us, survived 2 cats that hated him, chewed up and lost over 100 Frisbees, and loved our babies like they were his own.  I will never forget the day I brought home Kaelan and how Poncho looked at me with eyes that said, when do we take this back?   But Bandit, he looked at Kaelan with the most loving gaze, and then looked at us with eyes that spoke. 
I love her so much already, he said.  
He did love her, and even though he didn’t have the strength and youth for playing by the time Seth came, he loved him all the same.
  
    
Despite the fact he had the sweetest, most calm demeanor, Bandit could cause some hair pulling moments.   He had a thing for diapers….dirty diapers.  If there was a way to break into those diaper genies or trash cans to score a poopy diaper, he was all over it.   He was also famous for “appearing” in photos.   Anytime I would pull out the camera, he would wonder right into lens range.   Only he wasn’t happy just being in the picture.   Oh no, he would usually have his hind end fill the picture, or he would take that opportunity to stop and lick his…..well, you know.   If I had a dollar for every picture that I had to edit out a Bandit Butt, I would be a rich lady.  Trust me.
 

     

14 years.   A good life, though after the loss of his best friend, he didn’t seem to want to walk as far, or chase down that Frisbee, or lay out in the sun.   The loss added weight to his already aging heart.

 


In a stooper of sleep deprivation, I willed myself to have a visionary dream last night.   I kept asking myself over and over if this was the right time.   Was this really the end?   Was there anything else we could do? I could hear myself repeating the questions aloud in my head.   My head knew the answer, my heart refused to hear it despite the loudness inside.   Then, came that dream.  I was standing at a door or some sort of opening to a great, vast meadow.   The sun was so bright, and I remember reaching, searching around me for my  sunglasses.   As I looked about me, there beside my leg stood my old friend, Poncho.  He stood looking out into the meadow in a focused, unyielding stance.   Suddenly, his body began to twitch and he started the familiar dance of excitement, pawing the floor and softly whimpering.   I knew this dance.  Every time we packed up to go somewhere, Poncho would begin this routine.   Bucking his back legs, shaking his head from side to side, mouth open wide, whimpers of excitement.   He loved to go. But why was he so excited?   Where were we going?   His eyes never left the open door and the field.   Then, his whimpers became louder and more enthusiastic.   His prancing even more energetic.   I looked out to the meadow to see what provoked him so.  I saw it.   Off in the distance, way off, a tiny little dot became clearer as it whizzed towards us.   Poncho couldn’t contain himself, jutting his head further towards the opening.  And then, the spot became a figure and I saw him. 
Bandit.  He was running towards us at full speed.  

He’s coming, I said to Poncho.   Bandit is coming.    Go meet him!  Go on!  And with that, Poncho tore out through the opening at full speed.

In the end, I could not leave the vet’s office until I felt all the warmth leave his body.   He used to lay on my cold feet to heat them and let me thaw my freezing fingers on his hot belly.  
When the warmth left him, I knew he was gone.   With my hand on his cooling body, I whispered through tears.
 

He’s coming, Poncho.   He’s coming.