ALL ABOUT DAISY

Daddy’s Girl?                                                                                                                  Daisy would belong to my wife. She wanted a dog to take the place of our dog Charo who passed after 13 years. Though my wife cuddled the new puppy like a baby, in the coming years it was evident that she paid more attention to me at times and I always felt bad about that. Still, she spent a lot of time napping on my wife’s lap and playing tug of war with her. But if I was late getting home from work Daisy would pace and look to the back door waiting for me to come home. When I did she would have her ears back, tail wagging and seemingly a smile on her face. She would put her paws up on my stomach and I would bend down to her so she could give me a kiss behind the ear. She also would come to me when I was sitting down and give me what I called a hug by putting her paws on my shoulder and nuzzling her nose on the side of my neck. It usually meant she wanted a treat but I always took it as a sign of affection.

The Birds and The Bees                                                                                                      As she grew up she learned little tricks like sitting up (with a little help) and word commands. She would chase anything that came in the yard including cats, squirrels, birds and anything else she thought didn’t belong there. I collectively called these creatures varmints. Whenever I would say that word she would go into a frenzy until she was let out into the yard where she would bark and snarl at anything she could find. She also wasn’t afraid to go air born in order to snare her prey. This included birds and especially wasps. She never caught a bird. I thought she hated wasps until one day I saw her eat one she had just brought down. Now I’m thinking she treated them like flying caviar. It caught up to her once as the side of her mouth swelled up one day. It could only have been a wasp sting. She learned the risks of eating something that bites back. But it didn’t stop her because I saw her going after them again shortly after that episode.

Suspected Border                                                                                                                In later years I really began to admire Border Collies. They are one of the most intelligent breeds but city folk shouldn’t have them. They need work and a lot of room. They are tops in herding, agility competitions and frisbee catching. Daisy was listed as a terrier/mix but she had some undeniable Border traits. One day a couple of the neighbor kids got into the yard and Daisy quickly herded them in a group up against the fence. Then she flopped down on her belly and stared motionless at them. This coupled with her ability to leap high in the air after birds and her classic Border colors convinced me that part of her was Border. She also would sprint around our small yard and high speed.

Feeling No Pain                                                                                                                 She never let on that she was in any pain except for the occasional limp from stepping the wrong way during a high speed run. But she would shake it off quickly. If we accidentally stepped on her foot or caught her tail in the door she never yelped. Shots at the vet didn't seem to bother her either. But this made it very difficult when she was older as it was hard to tell when she was in pain.

The Warrior                                                                                                                   When she was younger she used to play with a ball and a rubber hamburger. She would fetch the ball and bring it to you but you but she wouldn’t let go of it. She could jump up and catch the hamburger in mid air which was good training for catching popcorn which was one of the many things she liked. Then there was fighting. I would tap the side of her mouth with both hands back and forth until she would snap at me then start growling. Once she was all worked up I would shout MAD DOG and she would sprint around the living room and dining room at full speed making tight turns around the ding room table. But when running or fighting got too rough I would shout STOP and she would walk away like nothing ever happened.

Her Blanket                                                                                                                   Some kids have security blankets. Daisy also had one. Actually it was an old sweatshirt. She would sleep with it but not always. It was the object of tug of war and other games we would play. It was also her prey. She would attack it, fold it up and tuck it away in a corner. When it came time to wash it she would pace around the house and sometimes wait by the basement door until it was finished where she would take it and immediately load it up with doggy spit again. One day in her later years she just lost interest in it. I guess she outgrew it.

Sleeper                                                                                                                            Daisy had a bed and later an old comforter to sleep on but she would also stretch out anywhere on the floor. But her place of preference was on us. She liked to sleep on my wife’s lap on the big recliner where she could lay her head on the wide arm and pass out until she drooled. I would sit on the sofa and stretch my legs out. Daisy would jump up and lay on my legs with her head at my feet. We napped like this on many afternoons. In fact after a while she knew when I should be on the sofa and would wait there for me to show up.

GAS                                                                                                                                     All mammals make gas. It’s part of their digestive system. But Daisy’s would come when you least expected it. Sometimes she would sit next to you in the dining room and all of a sudden you would hear a squeak or toot. But the worst ones were the silent ones which would escape when she was fast asleep on your lap. It was the price you paid for being close.

Guard Dog                                                                                                                         She barked at the mailman and pizza man as all good watch dogs do. This was evident by the doggy snot on the front windows that she would crash into while shooing a salesman or scaring the bejesus out of some unsuspecting little kid. But when a stranger would enter the house she would bark until she realized that the person was ok with us. Then it was ok for her. After a while she would approach the person and allow them to pet her. If she really liked the person she would roll over on her back and request the submissive belly rub, her favorite.

Social Creature                                                                                                                 The folks next door had different dogs over the years. Daisy was always ready to meet new dogs and exchange sniffs and shows of agility. They also used to do dog watching for people so there were a variety of mongrels that she would greet as host of the back yard. One of these was an old collie named Tipper. He was a gentle animal but had hip and/or back problems. Every step he took looked painful but he kept his spirits up and would take treats from us. I started to realize then that a pet owner has a responsibility to an animal to know when it’s time to go. It would have a big bearing on our decision with Daisy.

Eating Habits                                                                                                                  Daisy would eat her food when she felt like it. Sometimes it would be one nugget at a time. But her favorite food was anything we were eating. Most dogs are like that. I know it’s not good to feed your dog people food but we limited her intake to very small potions. French fries were one of her favorites. She was also an expert popcorn catcher. If we had leftover vegetables we would put some on her food. She had what we called a talented tongue because she could eat every bit of the vegetables without eating any of her food and that included creamed corn.

Weird Things                                                                                                                     She could hear a storm coming which was 30 miles away.                                                    She knew when we were having food delivered. She would pace and constantly check the front windows for any sign of car pulling up.                                                                          She had thoughtful eyes. I would sit her down in front of me and ask her some ridiculous question like what do you think of world events. She would get this funny look on her face, her eyebrows would take turns going up and down and she would stare thoughtfully off in space. I actually believed she was formulating an answer but couldn’t tell me the results.       On at least one occasion, she saw a ghost. I was napping on the sofa and Daisy was on my lap. My wife was sitting across the room in the recliner. A small ball of light drifted from the living room to the dining room. I don’t think it was a reflection from outside because it passed between them. As it did my wife could see Daisy’s eyes following it as it passed. Strange but true.

Things She Didn’t Like                                                                                             Climbing those slippery back stairs especially when they were wet.                                   Riding in cars.                                                                                                                 Taking pills.                                                                                                                  Thunder and lightning.

Things She Liked                                                                                                           Going for walks.                                                                                                             Playing with her ball or hamburger (in her younger days).                                                     Play fighting with me.                                                                                                     Coming with us to the alley to put out the trash.                                                                French fries.                                                                                                               Inspecting the dirty laundry when it was being sorted.                                                          Belly rubs.

In Sickness and In Health                                                                                                We were very health conscious with Daisy. We made regular trips to the vet, fed her healthy food (most of the time) and had any health problems taken care of as soon as possible. In her later years blindness and deafness were starting to set in. She was unsteady at times on her back legs and she would walk into furniture. She would do her business in the house on occasion. The mailman would deliver the mail and she wouldn’t even get up. I doubted she could hear them or didn’t want to use up the energy.

The aging process was setting in. The fur around her eyes and other parts of her body were turning gray. Sometimes she would just stand and stare at the wall motionless. I would watch her walk across the room and her back legs would give out and her rear end would hit the floor. She would never tell us when she was in pain. Never yelped or complained. At some point we had to decide what her quality of life was. I read somewhere that when a dog can’t be a dog anymore it’s time to let them go. On January 14, 2004 we said goodbye to Daisy and put her to sleep.

So let's celebrate Daisy’s life. She gave us more joy, laughter and companionship than I could ever have imagined. She was one of a kind and we’ll miss her.