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When I was a child we had a beloved dog that was a member of our family just as important as all the people members were.
He was named Sarge and was a beautiful large German Shepherd that we had gotten while I was two and he was only about eight
weeks old. So we grew up together.
He was included in all of our family activities. He was a very gentle and loving
animal. A great dog for kids. Sarge was always allowed to run free as we didn't live in a real urban area. He was very protective
of the family and would allow no one to approach us, or our home' uninvited.
At night Sarge would sleep on the living
room couch, he wouldn't lay there during the day because he knew he wasn't supposed to. But felt secure enough once we were
all in our beds. Periodically he would waken and climb down and make his rounds.
Our house had somewhat of a circular
type hall that began in the living room went past all the bedrooms then led into the kitchen and circled back into the living
room. So at night he'd leave the couch and walk down the hall, pausing at each bedroom door to check in. Then after he had
made his inspecton, you could hear the clicking of his toenails on the linoleum kitchen floor as he returned to his forbidden
couch.
At age eleven, (old for a dog I guess) he developed cancer and the time was nearing when we would have had
to have him put to sleep. Oddly he was killed by a motor vehicle. After eleven years of being street smart. We were heart
broken but thankful for the many years of joy he had given us. We didn't even think about acquiring another dog. Someone so
beloved cannot be easily replaced. A time of mourning is needed for the loss a loved one. Even if it's not a human.
I was twelve at the time and I remember lying in bed at night. I could actually hear him walk down the hallway, pause
at the bedrooms and then head back down the hallway to the kitchen. I would then wait to hear his toenails click on the linoleum
of the kitchen. But he never stepped into the kitchen. I don't know why, but he never did.
I often heard his nightly ritual
but did'nt say anything. I just took comfort in the fact that he was still making his rounds. One day I mentioned it to my
mother. She just looked at me and then changed the subject. I could tell that she had heard him too. When I pressured her
she said that it was just the sound of the furnace.
The nightly rounds continued for several months. Then his visits
became less and less frequent. When I turned sixteen, I was allowed to date. Shortly after that, he ceased to make his rounds
at all. I guess he just decided that I had grown up and did'nt need him anymore. I missed him then.....I still do.
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