I’ve had puppies. They are wickedly adorable. They are so fluffy and cute. Of course, I will never have a puppy again, not even if that puppy is a rescue. Puppies are a lot of work. A lot. A crazy amount and most days during the chewing and potty training phase, it feels more insurmountable than enjoyable. I really don’t enjoy cleaning up pee, that’s just me. When I got Melvin at age three, he was still heading towards the crazy years and it drove me a little bonkers. He was wild, energetic and eager to find mischief. He pulled me over, to the ground, with zero remorse. He would trample children. Someone suggested his name should be Marley
Someone recently, upon seeing Melvin, said ‘hey there old guy…’. It was said gently, lovingly, not meant to sting. My reaction was to ignore it, move on. The comment kept sneaking back into my mind. While it makes me a little sad to hear it, I happen to love this moment in life with Melvin. He’s eight. I know he’s not really old, yet. But thankfully, his puppy years are behind us. And that’s OK. He now channels his inner soulfulness so effortlessly, it’s like he was put here to share it. He has just the right amount of exuberance, he’s excited at precisely the right time. He naps, like a champ, the type of relaxing that most pay money to achieve. He has learned to receive love and return it twenty fold. His health challenges have made him strong and resilient and somehow, happier. He is kind, understanding, caring, with just the right amount of ‘what the F?’. He’s older now, but I wouldn’t go back to age three, not even to have more time with him.
He. Is. Perfect. He is my heart.
And when he’s 14, he’ll be even more impeccable. I wholeheartedly feel that old dogs are the best dogs, and Melvin is on his way to being just that. Enjoy every moment, that’s how it’s supposed to be!