Deer Dogs

It’s been a few years already that we know each other and celebrate us as a family.

But I would love to remind you that the beginning wasn’t easy for me.

It was challenging for us to get to know each other well. We all have very independent personalities and we had to compromise and adjust.

I would love to tell the story again when the three of us were tested.

Here it goes:

One day I met you Zen, a beautiful mixed, brown dog saved from bad people who wanted to put you down. You were known to be on the aggressive side. Do you remember the first time we met?

I tried to pet you and you almost bit me. I remember your face, surprised when I grabbed your mouth and literally put my hand inside and said loudly and firmly, ” STOP IT.” Since then we have become friends and best buddies.

Simon, you, who look like a dark coyote, a free spirit left in the woods by your people and then saved by my wife, you ignored me from the beginning. It took us some time to get to know each other.

But that day in the beginning of fall was one that I will remember forever. I just met you, barely knew you guys and almost lost both of you.

It was a beautiful day when we went for a walk alongside the Hudson River on the Jersey side with a beautiful view of Manhattan across the river. I remember it was a warm and quiet day. I let you both off leash to run a bit in the woods and swim in the river. You were so happy to play and seemed like you were listening to me even though it was just my third time ever walking you.

After a while when I got tired of playing fetch I decided to sit on a bench and rest a little. Zen was right next to me while Simon was already long gone. Little did I know that he had a history of disappearing.

Some time passed, maybe twenty minutes, and I started worry about the dog I was responsible for. I was new to the family of my animal lover and activist girlfriend. She trusted me, giving me the responsibility of walking her two beautiful and special dogs. I had kept that in my mind making sure everything would be fine and perfect.

I looked at Zen trying to find confirmation in his eyes that everything was fine. Instead, I noticed Zen moving his nose nervously and trying to sniff something in the air. I saw nothing but Simon had already been gone for a long time.

When Zen got up and started moving his head nervously, I heard a big noise like a horse running on the ground. I turned around and instead of a horse I saw a beautiful deer and Simon chasing him. I tried to stop him. I yelled at Simon but of course he didn’t listen. Zen got excited and ran after them. I lost control over them, and I thought I lost them both and the deer as I watched the three of them one after another running straight into the Hudson River.

They were not stoppable, like someone had put a spell on them. Their only goal was to catch the poor deer. They didn’t care about the water at all. I saw them swimming fast towards the middle of the big, deep, and busy Hudson River. I only saw three little heads far away and then only two, then one and then none. My heart stopped for a second. Like frozen, I couldn’t move. I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly I took a deep breath and was able to silently scream “HELP.”

Nobody could hear me either way, nobody was around. I started crying and running alongside the river towards boats parked a few hundred yards away. I lost my flip-flops when manically running. My feet were bleeding, but I didn’t care.

I noticed a few people on a little boat. Without thinking I just jumped in, and I guess my face said it all. I couldn’t say a word. I just pointed far out in the river, and they, in the same silence, started the engine. In the middle of the Hudson River, they asked me: “What are we looking for, a person, adult or a child?” I said: “two dogs and a deer” They looked at me like I was crazy.

My face was red from running and wet from tears, grimacing in panic and pain.

They calmed me down and put the engine in full throttle searching all around. One of them spotted something far in the distance slowly swimming in circles like it was about to drown. That was Simon in the middle of the strong current of the river getting tired and weak. Somehow, they pulled him up on the boat. I don’t really remember what happened next... I know I was sure that I lost you both and then happy that I had one of you, at least, and then I heard Zen on the other side barking loudly.

I saved you both and my new relationship. We all bonded as a family knowing that we do everything to help each other when in need. I never did see the deer again, but I imagine, I must imagine, that once the dogs were gone it made its way to the shore and went on with its life.

(Thank you, Simon, Zen and my wife Robin)