Life with Daisy

I’ve had many dogs in my life but none longer than I’ve had Daisy. I was present at her birth 14 years, 3 months, and 18 days ago. Daisy was one of six pups born to Lacey, my beautiful springer spaniel. Lacey was a wonderfully sweet dog that at less than a year old became pregnant by a particularly persistent beagle in the neighborhood (Daisy’s daddy). I’d never seen him around before but for days when I’d look out my window I’d see him sitting on the curb across the street looking at our house. He was lovesick for my Lacey in the worst way. I actually felt a little sorry for him, that is, until the day he stopped sitting on the curb and walked (or more likely sprinted) across the street to my house. At the time I was living in a house without a fenced-in yard and had to watch Lacey whenever I took her outside. On this particular day after going inside for what seemed like seconds I went to the door to let Lacey in and discovered she was no longer “alone”. Needless to say once a dog gets with another dog it’s impossible to separate them (without doing bodily harm). And so began the life of Daisy (and her five siblings). My plan was to find homes for all six pups after they were weaned. No matter how much my kids begged and cajoled I was NOT going to keep a puppy. That plan changed the terrible night their mother, sweet Lacey, was killed by a speeding car, a night I’ll always remember with guilt. Home from work that evening, tired and distracted, I became frustrated when Lacey wasn’t ready to go inside with me. I should have stayed outside with her but instead I went inside, without her. I remember thinking I’d give her a minute and then call her to come in but by then it was too late. Letting her down that night is something I will always regret. Her puppies were just four weeks old and not yet weaned and I felt I’d let them down too. They needed immediate attention so for the next few weeks the kids and I pitched in with their feeding and care. All six grew up to be different and adorable in their own way. We decided to keep the black and white one that reminded us most of Lacey. And so began our life with Daisy. Out of the all the puppies, Daisy was the most active and inquisitive. She was the first to do everything…open her eyes, gobble her food, climb out of her box, etc. She showed an aggressive, headstrong nature from the beginning and soon turned into a real pistol. There was no getting anything over on Daisy; she was the boss and she knew it. Of all the puppies, her personality was probably the least like her mom. But when she looked at you with her big brown eyes, so like her mom’s, you melted. Daisy wrapped us around her little tail in no time and became a part of our family in a big way.

This past Christmas we learned that Daisy is terminally ill with cancer. It was something I never expected to hear about what I considered an invincible dog. Her illness has changed her. It’s made her sweeter, needier, and less spunky than she used to be. Her illness has also made me realize more than ever what a special animal she is and how much I’ve enjoyed her all these years. I don’t know how much time Daisy has but we’re all trying to make the best out of that time. We’re spoiling her rotten actually, no more dog food for this once insatiable chowhound…it’s Arby’s roast beef, McDonald’s hamburgers, chicken breast, or whatever else we can get her to eat these days. If any dog deserves to be spoiled right now, it’s Daisy. There are some days now I look at her and feel selfish for wanting her to fight to stay with us. I see that she’s getting tired and I know soon she’ll have to rest but it’s hard. To be honest I can’t imagine being without her. There are so many memories tangled up in this crazy little dog. She’s been there through my kid’s growing up years, my growing up years (thank you Daisy); she’s been there with us through it all. And through it all, I don’t think a dog has ever loved more than my Daisy has loved. She doesn't accept everyone (mainly family and a chosen few), but once she does, she loves them fiercely, loyally, and with her entire heart. I think it says a lot about someone (animal or human) that can love like that. She is one of a kind and no matter what this year holds I’ll always remember that and treasure her life and be happy I was one of the accepted.