Simply the Best: (yeah, that is an hommage to Tina Turner) My mom rescuing my Teddy Bear named Freddie from the toilet when I was three. She was my hero, no lectures on how I shouldn't have been holding him while peeing, just a washing and hanging him on the line to dry. I kept vigil on the grass for hours as he blew in the summer wind. He was hung up by his ears, and Mom assured me he was happy to be clean and that "bears don't hurt in their ears." The moment she took him down, she passed him to me. I immediately stuffed him under my shirt so he would begin "smelling right." She laughed and told me, "What a clever girl you are. Freddie is lucky to have you to love him so." Whew, just writing this, brings tears to my eyes. Mom's gentle spirit lives in me. She does not recognize me now so I hold the memories of her so close to my heart.
I adopted a pyrenees lab mix in my 20s when all my friends were getting married and I was flailing in the feeling of being left behind. “I want someone who won’t leave me,” I kept saying. And not long after I found Georgia.
One day I came home from work and realized, for the first time in my life, someone was always, steadily, happy to see me come home.
It’s hard to describe what it feels like to go through life as an autistic child, then teen and an adult, always feeling you’re “wrong” and everyone else gets it “right.” But Georgia saw me. That’s what animals do, isn’t it? They don’t believe the language we’ve attached to ourselves—they just love with their whole bodies. It still makes me weepy to think Georgia loved me without me needing to pretend.
May we all know that kind of love. 🧡
Also: I am thankful for people like Suleika who can be a Love Bridge for humans looking for their animals.
I just lost my 4th and sweetest dog. We had a love affair and we went through so much together. They give so much love and joy and even in death have lessons to teach us. I miss my sweet Isabelle.https://www.lizmitchellmusemd.com/post/losing-isabelle
Thank you, Suleika and Nathan! I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about all the pups that have come and gone from my life, both healing and creating chaos, each in their own special ways. As for our writing prompt, I spent many summer on the shores of Fire Island (my absolute favorite beaches). One summer, during my teenage years, my friend Angie and I decided to walk from the state beach to a private beach miles away. It took hours, much longer than we anticipated! When we finally arrived at our destination, we dove into the cold, refreshing waves and swam out past them, into that lovely, calm place where the horizon meets the water. I'll never forget floating there, exhausted from walking for hours in the sun and heat, thinking "how will we get back?". The thought of walking back was a bit overwhelming. As I floated on my back, looking up at the clouds, contemplating my situation while I cooled off, I turned toward the shore and right there in front of me, bobbing on the waves, was a twenty dollar bill! I couldn't believe my eyes or my luck! At that time in my life I didn't have extra cash to carry around, especially with nothing but a bikini on. This was a true miracle! I hollered out at Angie, sharing my excitement. This would be just enough to pay for a water taxi back to the beach where our car was parked. And so it was! What a fun memory, well worth the floating, dreamy wait!
Lovely post about your dogs. While I'm a cat person (I love dogs, cats suit me more at this stage of my life), I can attest to the power of having an unconditional bond with your animal and that deep full-hearted love and how it changes you.
Love the prompt for today. I've been living along the shore for the past year and never want to leave. I cannot imagine going for long stretches away from the ocean at this point, and am often swimming past the breaks in deep water that other swimmers don't dare to go. It's where I feel free, and yes - safe. There, I am able to reunite with unbridled childlike joy, and the excitement of being alive.
I am currently away on a month-long trip and I miss my dog so much. I’ve been able to What’s App my kids - sharing stories and photos. The dog not so much. As I explore little towns in Portugal and try to imagine myself living in one of them, my dog is always part of the equation, even though he’s getting on in years. I remember reading a beautiful piece by David Sedaris about marking time through the dogs in your life, as you’ve done so beautifully here. Our dog was present for a big chunk of family life. Part of my trepidation of the passage of time is the inevitable losing of this companion. The writer Gabrielle Zevin wrote a beautiful appreciation of old dogs in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/14/what-makes-me-happy-now-my-very-old-dog-gabrielle-zevin
Oh goodness I can relate, in a way. I lost my cat Gretchen on December 31st after over 20 years together. (Graduate school to middle age!) She was the only pet I’ve ever had and, as a lifelong single, I was her only person. Then, on April 11th, I had a massive surgery, using a crane and metal bars to rearrange every bone, muscle, and organ in my chest cavity. (Not a bone marrow transplant but for me pretty intense.) For the first time in my life my heart and lungs will have space to function, and the slow but extraordinary transformation has already begun, but the pain has been at times intolerable, as has the loneliness of that pain. And I needed Gretchen. But I, too, learned from her. She was the most determined creature I’ve ever known. She ran on pure grit and love until the final hours: on the last day of her life she even managed to get into bed one last time, right before I got the call from the vet that the numbers from her bloodwork were “incompatible with life.” Since I got home from surgery I keep hearing her, seeing her, feeling her...I don’t know if it’s her absence or her presence that I feel. But either way it reminds me of her determination and love. Anyway if you see this, thank you; your words--always, but especially today--make me feel less alone.
My latest, best memory and one I would certainly remember on a distant shore waiting for a wave to arrive is last Sunday, my 80th birthday at Nicholo's Pizza where my children, my grand children and my great grand children sang "Happy Birthday grandma Lu Lu Happy Birthday to you" so special at this time in my life. And for a special dog story, 40 years ago when I returned home from a trip , late at night, no one was up, no one was there, no one was waiting for me, only NOEL (named because I got her near Christmas time) yes only NOEL sitting by the window on a couch wagging her tail , welcoming me back home.
May 28, 2023·edited May 28, 2023Liked by Suleika Jaouad
The timing of your "dog" post is amazing. I just lost my 12 year old rescue Doodle "Sophie" to suspicious circumstances at our local boarding facility. My husband and I are broken. Angry and broken. Your journal entry was very timely. We are struggling with the choice of taking legal action and wanting to honor Sophie with keeping only good memories in our minds. The other ironic part of your entry (and us) is that we moved to North Carolina 7 months ago and are scheduled to drive to the Outer Banks, NC tomorrow for a week of rest and hopefully healing. I want to listen to the angry ocean and keep it company to match our state of mind. This is my first ever reply since becoming a member last year. Thank you.
I have a fear of dogs, but there was one dog that lived on the opposite end of the hallway when I lived downtown in nyc. A fog I wasn’t afraid of, an English bulldog, whiskey, when she’d see me she’d come barreling down the hallway and I had to hold myself against the wall so I wouldn’t fall over. I loved her! I’d visit her, not her owners, every few weeks and play with her in the owners apartment. He was strong, ferocious and loving. He’s the only dog I’ve never been afraid of.
A favourite dog story and a waiting for the wave prompt provides lots for me to ponder on as I work through today’s long list of ranch duties which are frantically wagging their tails at me begging for my attention even before I have finished my first cup of coffee. Dogs, waves and memories.
Each precious on its own. Might have to write a book.
I love dogs so much. When my partner and I walk around in Chicago, I am delighted when other people let me pet their dogs. We know the neighborhood dogs: Remy, Ernie, Bernie, Scout, and so many others. We cannot have a dog in our apartment, which is sad because I feel like I have so much love to give so many dogs. I will also confess that I have a dream of living on a farm and caring for dogs with special needs: three-legged dogs, two-legged dogs, blind dogs, all of the dogs.
Thank you for sharing this story. I have been fighting Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for 5 1/2 years. I have had two bone marrow transplants, both have failed. Several years ago my son got a rescued part pit bull, skinny with sleek black fur. She was nervous and paced in circles. My son poured love and discipline into Piper, whom he renamed “Gooney”. After another experimental treatment I was in bed moaning. Gooney nudged open the door and jumped on my bed and looked at me with her mournful brown eyes. I melted.
As said above “please don’t call dog interpol” but I’m not a dog lover.
We never had ‘real’ pets growing up....only birds & fish were approved which was something but not a pal, not a partner in adventure. As an adult I mostly remember scary dogs, ones that jumped on me or nipped my fingers and on a long VW bus trip with a college friend I had to fight for shotgun seat with her old friend Ace. I got to know Ace over our travels but no love really grew.
Once on my own in life I got a kitten & it’s been a life of 2 kittens at a time, so fun to watch them grow up together & usually they live a long time, 20 years or so. I raise them as indoor/outdoor cats, they come when I call them & stay in at night. They love hanging with me in the hammock.
Most of my friends LOVE dogs and I can witness this relationship but it’s not one I have. I love cats & their level of engagement is perfect for me, their independence & their need to sit with me & purrrrrr ...sitting on my knitting or on top of my book to tell me no, it’s my time to hang out, drop everything. 🐈⬛🐈
Dogs have a way of finding us right when we need them. Your Oscar's name was the inspiration for my dog Oscar. I was reading your book when we decided to bring home another dog. I loved the name and it was so fitting for him. Like your Oscar, he is fearless and confident. I think of you often when calling Oscar's name and thank you for the perfect name for my sweet boy.
Simply the Best: (yeah, that is an hommage to Tina Turner) My mom rescuing my Teddy Bear named Freddie from the toilet when I was three. She was my hero, no lectures on how I shouldn't have been holding him while peeing, just a washing and hanging him on the line to dry. I kept vigil on the grass for hours as he blew in the summer wind. He was hung up by his ears, and Mom assured me he was happy to be clean and that "bears don't hurt in their ears." The moment she took him down, she passed him to me. I immediately stuffed him under my shirt so he would begin "smelling right." She laughed and told me, "What a clever girl you are. Freddie is lucky to have you to love him so." Whew, just writing this, brings tears to my eyes. Mom's gentle spirit lives in me. She does not recognize me now so I hold the memories of her so close to my heart.
I adopted a pyrenees lab mix in my 20s when all my friends were getting married and I was flailing in the feeling of being left behind. “I want someone who won’t leave me,” I kept saying. And not long after I found Georgia.
One day I came home from work and realized, for the first time in my life, someone was always, steadily, happy to see me come home.
It’s hard to describe what it feels like to go through life as an autistic child, then teen and an adult, always feeling you’re “wrong” and everyone else gets it “right.” But Georgia saw me. That’s what animals do, isn’t it? They don’t believe the language we’ve attached to ourselves—they just love with their whole bodies. It still makes me weepy to think Georgia loved me without me needing to pretend.
May we all know that kind of love. 🧡
Also: I am thankful for people like Suleika who can be a Love Bridge for humans looking for their animals.
I just lost my 4th and sweetest dog. We had a love affair and we went through so much together. They give so much love and joy and even in death have lessons to teach us. I miss my sweet Isabelle.https://www.lizmitchellmusemd.com/post/losing-isabelle
Thank you, Suleika and Nathan! I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about all the pups that have come and gone from my life, both healing and creating chaos, each in their own special ways. As for our writing prompt, I spent many summer on the shores of Fire Island (my absolute favorite beaches). One summer, during my teenage years, my friend Angie and I decided to walk from the state beach to a private beach miles away. It took hours, much longer than we anticipated! When we finally arrived at our destination, we dove into the cold, refreshing waves and swam out past them, into that lovely, calm place where the horizon meets the water. I'll never forget floating there, exhausted from walking for hours in the sun and heat, thinking "how will we get back?". The thought of walking back was a bit overwhelming. As I floated on my back, looking up at the clouds, contemplating my situation while I cooled off, I turned toward the shore and right there in front of me, bobbing on the waves, was a twenty dollar bill! I couldn't believe my eyes or my luck! At that time in my life I didn't have extra cash to carry around, especially with nothing but a bikini on. This was a true miracle! I hollered out at Angie, sharing my excitement. This would be just enough to pay for a water taxi back to the beach where our car was parked. And so it was! What a fun memory, well worth the floating, dreamy wait!
Lovely post about your dogs. While I'm a cat person (I love dogs, cats suit me more at this stage of my life), I can attest to the power of having an unconditional bond with your animal and that deep full-hearted love and how it changes you.
Love the prompt for today. I've been living along the shore for the past year and never want to leave. I cannot imagine going for long stretches away from the ocean at this point, and am often swimming past the breaks in deep water that other swimmers don't dare to go. It's where I feel free, and yes - safe. There, I am able to reunite with unbridled childlike joy, and the excitement of being alive.
I am currently away on a month-long trip and I miss my dog so much. I’ve been able to What’s App my kids - sharing stories and photos. The dog not so much. As I explore little towns in Portugal and try to imagine myself living in one of them, my dog is always part of the equation, even though he’s getting on in years. I remember reading a beautiful piece by David Sedaris about marking time through the dogs in your life, as you’ve done so beautifully here. Our dog was present for a big chunk of family life. Part of my trepidation of the passage of time is the inevitable losing of this companion. The writer Gabrielle Zevin wrote a beautiful appreciation of old dogs in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/14/what-makes-me-happy-now-my-very-old-dog-gabrielle-zevin
Oh goodness I can relate, in a way. I lost my cat Gretchen on December 31st after over 20 years together. (Graduate school to middle age!) She was the only pet I’ve ever had and, as a lifelong single, I was her only person. Then, on April 11th, I had a massive surgery, using a crane and metal bars to rearrange every bone, muscle, and organ in my chest cavity. (Not a bone marrow transplant but for me pretty intense.) For the first time in my life my heart and lungs will have space to function, and the slow but extraordinary transformation has already begun, but the pain has been at times intolerable, as has the loneliness of that pain. And I needed Gretchen. But I, too, learned from her. She was the most determined creature I’ve ever known. She ran on pure grit and love until the final hours: on the last day of her life she even managed to get into bed one last time, right before I got the call from the vet that the numbers from her bloodwork were “incompatible with life.” Since I got home from surgery I keep hearing her, seeing her, feeling her...I don’t know if it’s her absence or her presence that I feel. But either way it reminds me of her determination and love. Anyway if you see this, thank you; your words--always, but especially today--make me feel less alone.
My latest, best memory and one I would certainly remember on a distant shore waiting for a wave to arrive is last Sunday, my 80th birthday at Nicholo's Pizza where my children, my grand children and my great grand children sang "Happy Birthday grandma Lu Lu Happy Birthday to you" so special at this time in my life. And for a special dog story, 40 years ago when I returned home from a trip , late at night, no one was up, no one was there, no one was waiting for me, only NOEL (named because I got her near Christmas time) yes only NOEL sitting by the window on a couch wagging her tail , welcoming me back home.
I’ve been convinced for some time now that dogs make us better human beings.
The timing of your "dog" post is amazing. I just lost my 12 year old rescue Doodle "Sophie" to suspicious circumstances at our local boarding facility. My husband and I are broken. Angry and broken. Your journal entry was very timely. We are struggling with the choice of taking legal action and wanting to honor Sophie with keeping only good memories in our minds. The other ironic part of your entry (and us) is that we moved to North Carolina 7 months ago and are scheduled to drive to the Outer Banks, NC tomorrow for a week of rest and hopefully healing. I want to listen to the angry ocean and keep it company to match our state of mind. This is my first ever reply since becoming a member last year. Thank you.
I have a fear of dogs, but there was one dog that lived on the opposite end of the hallway when I lived downtown in nyc. A fog I wasn’t afraid of, an English bulldog, whiskey, when she’d see me she’d come barreling down the hallway and I had to hold myself against the wall so I wouldn’t fall over. I loved her! I’d visit her, not her owners, every few weeks and play with her in the owners apartment. He was strong, ferocious and loving. He’s the only dog I’ve never been afraid of.
A favourite dog story and a waiting for the wave prompt provides lots for me to ponder on as I work through today’s long list of ranch duties which are frantically wagging their tails at me begging for my attention even before I have finished my first cup of coffee. Dogs, waves and memories.
Each precious on its own. Might have to write a book.
I love dogs so much. When my partner and I walk around in Chicago, I am delighted when other people let me pet their dogs. We know the neighborhood dogs: Remy, Ernie, Bernie, Scout, and so many others. We cannot have a dog in our apartment, which is sad because I feel like I have so much love to give so many dogs. I will also confess that I have a dream of living on a farm and caring for dogs with special needs: three-legged dogs, two-legged dogs, blind dogs, all of the dogs.
Dog is god spelled backward. No mistake there.
Thank you for sharing all of your dogs with us!
Dear Suleika,
Thank you for sharing this story. I have been fighting Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for 5 1/2 years. I have had two bone marrow transplants, both have failed. Several years ago my son got a rescued part pit bull, skinny with sleek black fur. She was nervous and paced in circles. My son poured love and discipline into Piper, whom he renamed “Gooney”. After another experimental treatment I was in bed moaning. Gooney nudged open the door and jumped on my bed and looked at me with her mournful brown eyes. I melted.
As said above “please don’t call dog interpol” but I’m not a dog lover.
We never had ‘real’ pets growing up....only birds & fish were approved which was something but not a pal, not a partner in adventure. As an adult I mostly remember scary dogs, ones that jumped on me or nipped my fingers and on a long VW bus trip with a college friend I had to fight for shotgun seat with her old friend Ace. I got to know Ace over our travels but no love really grew.
Once on my own in life I got a kitten & it’s been a life of 2 kittens at a time, so fun to watch them grow up together & usually they live a long time, 20 years or so. I raise them as indoor/outdoor cats, they come when I call them & stay in at night. They love hanging with me in the hammock.
Most of my friends LOVE dogs and I can witness this relationship but it’s not one I have. I love cats & their level of engagement is perfect for me, their independence & their need to sit with me & purrrrrr ...sitting on my knitting or on top of my book to tell me no, it’s my time to hang out, drop everything. 🐈⬛🐈
Dogs have a way of finding us right when we need them. Your Oscar's name was the inspiration for my dog Oscar. I was reading your book when we decided to bring home another dog. I loved the name and it was so fitting for him. Like your Oscar, he is fearless and confident. I think of you often when calling Oscar's name and thank you for the perfect name for my sweet boy.