A NEW OLD FRIEND

Canine friends are the best

"Sadie's still alive."

Happy Thanksgiving to all of us! That is what went through my mind when I heard The Husband call out those words to me as we climbed out of our car. We'd just arrived at the home of our good family friends for dinner. I turned my head toward the house - to the dining room window specifically - and there she was. You'd never see her if you looked quickly, but peeking up from the bottom corner of the window was Sadie, our friend's very sweet and very old golden retriever. I smiled when I saw her, happy to see her face.

I pointed toward the window to show my mom and brother (Grandma Marti and Uncle Doug), who are visiting from Pittsburgh. Several months ago, Sadie's owner shared that she wasn't sure how much time Sadie had left. Her quality of life had started to fade and the last thing they wanted was for her to get to the point that she was uncomfortable. Seeing her face in the window instantly assured me that she still had some living left to do. In a moment, she was going to meet the Little One for the first time. When she saw us walking toward the house Sadie disappeared from our sight to rush to the side door we would enter. Like I said, she's a friendly dog.

The meeting was just as sweet. At first Sadie was distracted by the small crowd of people who came into the kitchen to greet us. Then she spotted the car seat resting on the floor.

"What's that?" her face seemed to say as she trudged over as quickly as her old bones let her.

Uncle Doug saw her approaching and, not knowing Sadie and her gentle ways, swooped up the seat at the last second to protect the Little One. This caught everyone's attention. Poor Sadie was then warned to stay away from the little wiggling creature looking down at her from the car seat resting on the table. She obeyed briefly, but a few minutes later when the Little One came out of his carrier, Sadie jumped at the chance to sniff him. Just as I expected, her greeting was gentle and made the Little One grin. They were hooked instantly.

Sadie was never far from the action throughout the day. She used her puppy dog eyes to quietly beg for a taste of hors devours. She made sure everyone took a turn petting her. She even was kind enough to pick up some turkey our host accidentally dropped on the floor while he was cutting the Thanksgiving bird. Later, when the Little One joined us at the table fresh from a nap, she rose from her spot on the floor to greet him. This was easier said than done for a big old dog. Sadie was determined though and weaved her way through a maze of table legs and human legs to reach us. Once she got there Sadie just watched him up close and, of course, let me pet her head.

A couple of hours later the Little One hit a rough patch and started to cry. He cried and cried some more. He cried loud and strong. It took me another hour in a dark bedroom upstairs to calm him down and get him to sleep. When I left the room I found Sadie stretched out at the bottom of the stairs sitting guard. Oh, Sadie!

Eventually it was time to go. I put the Little One back in his car seat carrier and we started to say our goodbyes. Perhaps it was the spirit of the day or maybe just his cuteness, but we spent more than five minutes crowded around him. He smiled again and again as he looked around the room of familiar faces. Since he was content for the moment I decided to run to the bathroom one last time before the trip home. When I walked back into the room a couple of minutes later, Sadie's owner was sitting on the floor in front of the Little One, and in front of her laid Sadie. I looked again and saw my single favorite sight of the day. That sweet dog had raised a paw and rested it on the side of the carrier. I wanted to cry. What a gesture! What a good memory to make at the end of a special first Thanksgiving!

When we left a few minutes later I felt a little sad not knowing if she'd be waiting in the window the next time we came by for a visit. She may not make it long enough to have the Little One crawl up to her for a hug. That is several months ahead. What I do know though, what I took comfort in as we drove away, is that sweet dogs like Sadie never really die. They are always at the front of our mind ready to make us smile.