A Best Friend Until The End

The story came over the TV and the Internet on late Thursday, early Friday. I know many of you have seen or read it, but, for those who haven't, here it is: '' Navy SEAL U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson was among the 30 American troops killed August 6 when Taliban insurgents downed their Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. At his funeral in Iowa, his dog Hawkeye paid his last respects by walking up to the casket, laying down in front of it, and heaving a sigh.''... The dog would not leave his master's side during the funeral.... In a link to this, there is a story from 2010: '' While many residents of Lone Oak, Texas are mourning the recent passing of Mr.Wayne Giroux... no one is taking it as hard as dear Spot... Spot faithfully waits each and every day by the side of the road in front of her home-hoping and waiting for Mr. Giroux to come home.''... This is why I love dogs.... When I was growing up, our family had two dogs, Cookie, a black lab, and, Poco, a shitzu. My family has never truly been into animals. We don't  dislike them or wish them harm, but, a dog has always been the only animal close to our hearts. Cookie was my childhood dog. My sister Lisa brought her home from somewhere when I was five. Lisa has always been a deep lover of dogs, so, this fortunate meeting of a kind hearted teenager, and a lost dog, was a Perfect Storm. Cookie had an angel face, big, warm, brown eyes, and, the sweetest disposition that you can hope for in a dog. Cookie was always there, almost eerily acting like a human. If you were happy, she was happy for you. And, if you were sad, I swear this dog would sense it so strongly that she would come over to you and kiss your face. Most dogs, even in sad moments, want to be petted. Not Cookie. She would look at you with love, and, son of a bitch, start kissing you until you were laughing. Perhaps, in another life form, Cookie was some sainted human who cared for the needy... We all loved Cookie, but, she was Mom's favorite. She would follow my Mom around everywhere. They had a special bond. Maybe it was the mother thing. Cookie was an orphan, separated from her Mother, somewhere. Perhaps, Cookie took to my Mom like children take to their Mother. Maternal. I'm no great believer in psychoanalysis, but, Cookie could have been another child, albeit in dog form.... Around 12, we got Poco [ '' little'' in Italian ]. What a little dynamo this dog was!!!. A friend of my Dad"s had some extra dogs in their litter, so, we were given him. At first, it was a bruising joining. Poor Poco would cry every night for his parents. He seemed so lonely , and, so lost, that I cried with him at night. Add to the fact Cookie couldn't stand him made his beginning very tough. In due time, the crying stopped- for Poco and me-- and, Cookie and him formed a love. They used to lie next to each other every night. It was precious. At the end of the day, they had enough of us crazy humans and wanted to be alone. They formed a bond that no human could, or would, try to separate... Poco was Dad's dog. He would follow my Dad everwhere. It was pure idolization. Poco loved Dad so much,  that when Dad would sit in a chair, Poco would literally SIT ON HIS FEET and stare at home. It was almost dog stalking. And, Poco was a card. He was moody, tempermental, defied authority, and, was just plain lazy. Its no wonder my brother Tom and I took to this dog. If I came back as a dog, it would be in Poco's persona. Take, for instance, if it was cold outside. We would open the door for the dogs to go out to the backyard and quickly do their business. Cookie would, she was the Angel, remember. Poco would not move. He would stare up at you, and, in some dog way of telepathy, say, '' You fuckin expect me to go out there and freeze my balls? Close the door Jimmy and I will just piss in the house!''... Which, the bastard would do... He was lovable, though, for all of his moodiness. Poco had his sweet side too. More often than not, we were amused by his antics, except for whomever had to clean the carpeting... Cookie died in her sleep in 1981. I was 15. This was my first brush with a death in the family [ and, yes, dogs are family ]. She had been sick for a week or so, and, we were planning on taking her to the vet that morning, but, it was too late. Mom found her downstairs. We all started crying. Poco had the most interesting reaction: he wouldn't go downstairs. Dogs have that sixth sense about death. Also, I'm sure in their own way, Cookie and Poco had said goodbye to each other and said '' I love you''.... For the next 12 years, Poco was the only dog. Us kids were growing up and out of the house, and, my parents were getting older. There didn't seem to any reason to get another dog... Poco never changed in his mature years. He was still the same lovable maddening rascal he always was. Refusing to go outside in bad weather, and staring at my Dad. When Dad got his cancer in 1991, and, was in the hospital for 2 weeks, Poco was strangely quiet. He missed Dad deeply, and, Dad missed him too, and, maybe, Poco sensed sickness. Dad survived and came home. The reunion was touching, man and dog... Around 1993, Poco had a stroke that affected his ability to walk. We knew we had to put him to sleep. Everybody was torn up about it, especially my Dad. He was losing his pal. I finally took Poco to the vet, saying how much I loved him and how I would miss him. I made a quick goodbye, I wasn't strong enough emotionally to hold him while he died... When I got home, Mom and Dad were crying. They had lost another dog/child. Sadly, the real losing of a child was not too far away... I now live in a condo that doesn't allow dogs. A part of me would really want another one. But, it would not be fair to the dog-- I'm away from home a lot during the week. But, I still love dogs. I love the unconditionally love that they give. I love the fact , no matter what time of the day or night it is, they are happy to see you. I love the pure love in their hearts. I don't find this love in other animals. I'm sure its there in some, but, we all know that dogs have it in abundance.... Do yourself a favor if you want the perfect poem on the love a dog brings to a family. YouTube Jimmy Stewart on The Tonight Show, reading his poem about his dog Beau. Have a kleenex handy... I still dream of Cookie and Poco. More Poco than Cookie. They are very much alive to me. Running, jumping, following my parents in the next dimension. Somewhere, Cookie is sitting next to my Mom, while Mom is sneaking her food from the table. At the other end of that table is my Dad. With Poco sitting on his feet....