Grey Whiskers at the End of the Bed

Our Poster Boy

You get a puppy, they win you over and all the time you know they are going to break your heart. But still we do it, again and again. Despite the certainty of the broken heart on 'that day' I would not give up one day of my dog's life with me simply because we know they will leave us before we are ready.

Our old dog Jack, the original inspiration for pretty much all that is D-fa Dogs now has very greying whiskers and a runny nose and he smells a bit funky sometimes. But not surprisingly given our life together, I love him more today that I did the day he flopped into our lives all ears, paws and very sharp baby teeth! Sometimes when things get a little frayed around the edges Jack looks at me as if to say 'you know, it is what it is ... what time's dinner?'. Perspective.

I, like most of us with first world worries, do all kinds of things to stay centred and grounded and at peace - I've contorted myself into yoga poses that have me resembling half assembled pieces of Ikea furniture; I've taken deep breathing classes; I've listened to whale song and silver meditations. I've drunk tea that takes like dirt and eaten foods that even Jack wouldn't touch (and that's saying something given he's a Rhodesian Ridgeback). But the one thing that never fails, never feels futile, doesn't involve a change of outfit or the consumption of something inedible is a stroll with Jack and The Dutchess. You can't hurry (too wobbly and too much to sniff), you just have to take it all in at the pace set for you by the grey whiskered one. And there is nothing quite as grounding as picking up after your dog ... it comes out, you just gotta deal with it ... it's a metaphor for life.

Grey Whiskers

Jack (and The Dutchess) both sleep at the end of the bed. At night now we alternate between 'oh my god, I can't hear him breathing' and 'oh god, stop licking!' as Jack goes through his nightly rituals of snooze, snore, lick, turn-over, wake us up to go out for a pee, exhale loudly and repeat at least 2 times. I wouldn't change it for the world. I wouldn't trade a day. I love those grey whiskers more than the puppy smell I first fell for 13 years ago. Cheers Jacko!