The one thing that our messed up little family had in common was our Big Dog. The Husband got Big Dog when The Ex left him. Big Dog was a tiny, 15 pound monster, small enough to sit inside The Husband's jacket when they went outside. He grew to be a 90 pound powerhouse who could drag you down the street if he a saw a squirrel he felt was worth it.
The Kid called Big Dog his brother. He was the dog that got him through his parent's divorce. They were the best of friends.
I met The Husband when Big Dog was about a year and a half. At the time, The Husband was a commercial fisherman and was leaving Big Dog alone, in his crate, for way too long. I couldn't bear it and would go over to his apartment and let Big Dog out, take him for walks play with him. We became fast friends.
A year after that, I moved in with The Husband. I took it upon myself to acclimate the puppy to living outside the crate. He was a crazy dog and this was no easy task. At the time, The Husband had this hideous living room set. It looked like he stole it from a retirement home in south Florida. It. Was. Awful. I came to find out that The Ex had chosen it for their marital home. Now, Big Dog had a penchant for couch cushions. He loved to jump on them, chew them, rip them off the couch etc. Did I mention he was a crazy dog? Well, I may have encouraged said behavior because about a month in to my out-of-crate training, that awful, awful couch was all but destroyed. Stuffing was everywhere, pillows were shredded, fabric was dirty and torn. (I may or may not have helped in the process.) I think all stepmoms can related to wanting as many traces of the ex-wife out of their lives as possible. Big Dog helped to start the purge (and was a great scapegoat!).
I never shared this story with The Husband until this past Monday, when we spent the day remembering all sorts of things about our Big Dog. We came home from getting ice in the neighboring state (since Irene knocked out our power for three days) to find our beloved Big Dog lying next to Little Dog's crate, cold and lifeless. He was not sick (that we know of) and he was not old. We have no idea what happened. We are devastated.
Big Dog saw us through a lot. The divorce. The Ex taking away The Kid. Us splitting up. Our eventual reconciliation and marriage. Our miscarriages. Our grief. Our triumphs. He was always there to put his massive head and your lap, look up with his big, kind eyes and let you know that everything would be okay. The day he died, I gave him a huge hug and told him he was my favorite dog ever. I didn't know that I would come home just a few short hours later and he wouldn't be there anymore. I'm so, so glad those were my last words to him.
Little Dog, you have some big paw prints to fill.
4 years ago
