Nose to the ground

The elevator door opened. As I stepped out into the hallway, Dave had let go of the leash when a little black dog began running towards me from the end of the hall like a racehorse released from the gate. His long ears flapping up and down and tongue hanging out on one side. I stood still, not seeing any sign of slowing down, and positioned myself as a linebacker would. At that moment, I only knew one thing, I had fallen in love.

I was now two feet away, thinking he'd either run through or around my legs when he suddenly vaulted straight up with the momentum propelling him into my arms. I stumbled and struggled to support him through my laughter and his attempts to lick every part of my face while trying to climb further up my body. Dave had walked down the hall from the apartment and said with a smile, "Rachel, this is Oscar."

Two weeks later, Dave and Oscar moved in. I created a safe space that included a blanket in his crate, one chew toy, and one pair of panties. The chairs at the dining room table were pushed in, boxed food items in the kitchen were moved to the top cupboard and the garbage can was moved to the top of the counter. I disposed of the wastebasket in the bathroom. Lastly, I installed a fridge lock with a code, that one was for both Dave and Oscar. All this was done on my first day of training.

Over time my concerns were upgraded and adjustments were needed. I bought winter booties and used them every day, twice a day, because the sand and salt on the sidewalk would hurt his paws. I bought a toothbrush and higher quality dog food but saved money in having to use fewer poop bags. I bought dog biscuits for our outings and then avoided that one street with an old lady who was giving them out like candy on Halloween. I truly believed those biscuits were only meant for her dog, a great dane.

The greatest challenges came with living downtown in a large city. The sound of sirens, raves, or dogs barking was heard every night. Routine walks around the block were on-leash until we reached the fenced-in dog park. We would only go in if I knew someone. There was no point to do so otherwise because we would stick together like a shark and a pilot fish. I had no one to chat with and if a dog did approach Oscar he would lean up against me or try to get away by going around my legs.

A vacation day included driving out of the city with enough water and a packed lunch for each of us. When Oscar was permitted to enter the car, he could not contain his excitement, he knew this meant we were going out to the country for an off-leash adventure. On occasion, we would look for a new walking trail during which Oscar would be quietly panting looking out the window. But if we were driving to a regular site, Oscar would whimper as he walked back and forth across the back seat looking out all the windows. As we approached the parking lot with an entrance to a trail, his whimpering grew to high pitch levels until he was released from the car.

Years passed with my daily routine remaining the same. I would only check the time on the occasion when I was ready to go out for a walk but Oscar wasn't because he had decided to have a nap. That would always throw me off. I would sweep the dog hair from under dressers, behind appliances, and every corner of the rooms to reset the schedule. Then I was flexible and referred to my to-do list on the fridge that served as my backup plan.

With time comes age and with age comes change. The time had come when Dave and I both agreed to move out of the city. We drove in the driveway to our new country home and opened the back door to help Oscar from the truck. Now fifteen years old, to our horror, he leaped from the back seat but in landing on the thick soft green grass he continued into a run. With his nose to the ground, he spiraled further and further away from us. Standing under a clear blue sky and surrounded by apple trees, rose bushes, and lilies, Dave and I hugged each other. We were overwhelmed with emotion as we watched the spaniel in Oscar now released and knowing he would be living out his retirement off-leash.