Something about him was familiar

Best Christmas story or nightmare. You choose.

One day I had a new client come in with a 7-year-old Bernese mountain dog. Chewy presented with a lack of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting. When the clients came in, I immediately recognized their dog. He had an unusual white stripe on the forehead. The puppy I remembered had the same color pattern and white stripe as Chewy. So, I asked my technician to leave the room and look up Bernese mountain dogs that I have seen over the past 7 years.

I asked another technician to come in to help me perform the physical examination on Chewy. Chewy was clinically dehydrated, his abdomen was tense, the fur on his face smelled like vomit, and his rear end had remnants of diarrhea still on the fur. I told the clients that we would need to start with some blood work and x-rays, and my technicians recruited some help to pick up this 135-pound beast onto the x-ray table. I went back into the exam room and started to talk about the other Bernese mountain dog with similar markings.

Looking back, it was about 7 years ago when a young couple bought a puppy from a breeder. It was in December and the young couple went away for Christmas and left the puppy with their friend and my client. They didn’t leave a cage or toys and the young woman who took care of the puppy left him in a spare bedroom where the puppy did tremendous damage.

One day the puppy got out of the bedroom and destroyed their Christmas tree. He knocked it over, ripped open presents, chewed up ornaments, and ate the stockings. I remember informing the young woman when she brought him in that I was going to have to perform surgery to retrieve all the things that he ate. It ended up being a problem because we couldn’t communicate with the owners based on their travel, but the surgery was an emergency. I ended up performing the surgery which went without complications. The friend ended up paying for the surgery and I found out later that the whole ordeal ended their friendship.

My technician who was doing the deep dive into the research came in and told me that my instincts were correct and it was the same dog. His name was John. When the new owners found out that his name was John they asked if the original owner’s name was Hortensia. It was.

Same dog, similar situation. I ended up telling the new owner my history with John. They adopted John about a year ago, hated the name and call him Chewy because he always has something in this mouth.

My technicians came back in with Chewy and we put the radiographs on the examination computer and we could see the problem right away. Chewy had  about 9 pacifiers in his stomach. I asked the owners if they have a child and they did. Each parent thought it was the other one that got rid of the pacifiers, but it was Chewy. I told them that Chewy needed surgery. The fact that there are 9 pacifiers means that they are not passing. I thought it was fortunate for them that when they adopted John the previous owners transferred the insurance to them, and they never canceled it. And I told them that they never will. Best holiday news ever. Love, Chewy.

I know Mickey’s not Mom, but still…

I don’t think I’m losing it, at least I hope not, but as Mickey grows, I have the strangest feeling that something about him reminds me of my mother.

It isn’t that he looks like my mom but when he looks at me I immediately think of my mom. At first, I thought the obvious (lol), my mom was reincarnated into my life as my dog. Although I am open to forces beyond my comprehension, this is not my real belief, so I continued to think about this strange feeling.

My second idea was that I was missing my mother in this second year after her death. I was experiencing what psychologists call transference, substituting my absent love for her onto Mickey. That just didn’t seem like the answer either. I have had plenty of love from my husband, family, and friends, so I didn’t think this answered the feeling either.

After more thought and soul searching, I think I realized what it is. There is nothing in this world like a mother’s love for her child. This love is unconditional, boundless, and always, always there. And how does the child feel their mother’s love? Through touch and care, but most of all in the absolute love that shines in their mother’s eyes.

That look is often the way Mickey looks at me. The love between people and dogs is a popular theme of endless books and movies. Who else greets you each and every time you return home with love with unlimited joy. Who else kisses you endlessly with their licks just to show how important you are to them. And who else looks at you with unconditional love and joy simply because you are in their lives. The answer is, of course, your dog. That wonderful look that Mickey gives me reminds me of my Mom and brings me to joy and tears.

One of the benefits of getting Mickey was that I have met a whole host of people in my neighborhood that I never knew before. These are all the dog owners that I meet while out walking Mickey.

Among the dogs we have met, one of Mickey’s favorite is Bailey, a cavapoo owned by Jodi. Every time our walks coincide, both Mickey and Bailey are joyous, and Jodi and I have really good conversations. I think she is a kindred spirit.

Jill and Mickey

I had to share my thoughts about Mickey and my mom with Jodi, whose mom had passed away a number of years ago. I started by saying that I had something strange to share, that Mickey reminded me of someone. Before I had a chance to go further Jodi finished my thought. She said, ”He reminds you of your mother doesn’t he?

Well, I was completely amazed. “How did you know that?” I asked. She said that Baxter, her other dog, reminds her of her mother. She feels that Baxter has her mom’s spirit and was sent to watch over her. She said, “It is all in the eyes.” It couldn’t have been coincidence that we both felt the exact same feeling and I don’t think either of us are crazy. I explained my theory to Jodi, and while she sees my point, she believes it is spiritual not just the love I described. Who knows and it doesn’t really matter.

How lucky we are to have this feeling and enjoy the love of our dogs and wonderful memories of our mothers. We can’t be the only ones believing their dog reminds them of someone loved and lost, but I have not yet shared my thoughts with others. Now I am sharing my feelings with you. I wonder if you have experienced this as well?

One last thought, I am reminded about the importance of our eyes since we are now wearing masks. Without seeing another person’s smile or facial expression, without enjoying a hug or handshake, the eyes have to communicate all our emotions. From our dogs to our moms, it is all in the eyes.