Making Choices

Posted by charlene on October 30, 2008

I really thought that when I retired from education, my days would be defined by leisurely lunches with my friends or with my husband, traveling and just being a lady of leisure.  Boy, was I wrong! Because of Desi and his guidance, I was able to start a second career that allows me to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets. For me, it is the work of my heart and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Right now, I should be in Northern California for our breed club’s National Specialty. They are educational, fun and exhausting! If you have a purebred dog, you really don’t know your breed until you have attended a National Specialty. There are seminars, general meetings, every kind of event imaginable. It is a chance to renew old friendships and make new friends as well. Think of it as a big family reunion with over 200 dogs and their owners! Amusing when you watch a novice owner trying to show a rambunctious 6 mos. old puppy, or nostalgic as you watch the veterans being shown. To be a veteran, your dog needs to be at least 7 years old. Our breed holds together well; Desi won the veteran sweeps and his class at the national 2 years ago. Wonderful, wonderful memories! We also have a Rescue Parade where Beardies who have been rescued from shelters, irresponsible owners and deplorable situations parade around the ring, heads held high, happy to be given a second chance at a new life with loving owners. Those of you who read my monthly newsletter remember that the Beardie Casey was a rescue dog fromn a puppymill situation. You can’t help but shed a tear or two, definitely a Kleenex alert. There is always a standing ovation for these dogs and their owners. It is a testimony to what love and a new start can do for a needy dog.

As much as I would like to be there, I can’t in a clear conscience, leave Desi at this time in his life. I know there will be other National Specialties that I will attend, but this year my heart tells me that I need to be here with my boy. I want to be here to know that he receives his medication on time, eats all of his meals, goes outside to go to the bathroom and doesn’t walk into corners and not be able to figure out how to turn around. Yes, I wish I was at the Specialty, but the days, weeks and months with Desmond are winding down and I want to be able to squeeze every moment I can with him.

So we spend quiet time together; I watch him having “doggiemares”(where he twitches, growls and runs across fields in his sleep) bringing back memories of his younger days. I watch him rolling around on the rug and trotting in after doing his “business” in the yard, feeling pretty chipper. I know that the day will come where things will change dramatically calling for tough decisions, but it is not today! Today is a good day and there really isn’t any place I would rather be, so it really wasn’t a difficult decision to make. I smile, filled with love for my old, dear friend.