Unveiling the Light

If you have met me, you have probably met my friend Patrick. As friends go he is kind of cool. He is very loyal and very playful but does have a severe problem of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as he tends to fixate of certain things. He is a wonderful athlete, usually friendly and gentle and from time to time loves to cuddle. In case you have not met him and before you jump to unwarranted conclusions, let me tell you that Patrick has four legs. He is a dog but please don’t tell him that. He would not understand. A wonderful mix of Labrador and boxer, black with a white chest, white muzzle and white feet, he is a joy to behold.

Until recently Patrick was a parish dog, free to roam the parish and play with adults and kids. During services he would wait outside of the church for all of his fans to come out. I always knew that if I was standing near him to say goodbye to parishioners, I would be second in line. Patrick always got the first greetings and if he thought he was not getting enough attention, he would lie on his back and invite all to rub his chest. He knew how to steal the show. His OCD problem is oriented towards balls. Put a ball near him and he will stare it and you down until you finally get the message that you are supposed to throw it. He is ever looking out for balls on the roll. Then there is the game of getting the ball back from him. Grab it from his mouth and he would engage in a wonderful game of tug a war. Ignore him and he would drop it at your feet.

This is a companion who was happy to wait for me in the truck or the next room, so long as he knew where I was. If he was outside playing, from time to time he would dash into the office just to check and make sure I was there and then would dash off again. His athletic ability and constant motion helps him to stay in shape. It’s needed because Patrick loves cookies. He will sit in front of the cookie jar and star at you until you retrieved one. If that was not successful he would nose the lid off the jar to make his point. He was also good a knocking at doors to be let in and would make sure everyone in the room had a chance to pet him or shake his paw.

I write about him in both the present and past tense because although he is well, he is no longer my companion. During my recent stay in the hospital, something got into him and this usually gentle and loving dog bit a person rather severely. We don’t know why he did it as it is so out of his nature but it could have been the stress of my absence or perhaps he just had a bad day. None-the-less it sealed his fate and he can no longer be a parish dog. I cannot have a pet that could possibly hurt someone. Luckily though, it appears that some saint is looking out for him.

Much of the advice I received was to put Patrick down. The bite was too severe for the shelter I got him from to take him back and potential homes had all turned down the chance to adopt him. I even made an appointment on Friday at 11:00am for the vet to euthanize him. Then a friend thought she had found someone at the shelter to make an exception to the rule and instead of making our 11:00 appointment I took him there. Unfortunately it was a mistake and the only option the shelter offered was again, euthanasia. However, for some reason this process is much more expensive at the shelter and meanwhile I had missed the 11:00 appointment at the vet. Patrick had gained a few hours reprieve.

I made a second appointment for 2:00 that afternoon, determined to do this before the weekend. The longer I put it off the worse I felt about it. This was especially true as he was turning on his charm, being very loving and obedient. Patrick was not making this an easy decision. Then, about 1:15, with just 45 minutes to spare, Jim and Barbara Brown came forward. They changed their original refusal, could not bear for him to be put down, and agreed to adopt him. This is the couple who for the past three years have been Patrick’s sitter during my absences. Thus Patrick received a last minute reprieve from the deadly needle that awaited him. I wonder if he knows how close he was.

Over this past week we have be in transition with him spending more and more time at his new home while they fixed their yard to prepare for him. It has gone extremely well. For a “one man dog� he is adapting and last night was able to stay there overnight. He loves this couple and has especially bonded to Jim. He has even started up a dialogue of sorts with the cat with whom he shares this new home as they have been peacefully nose to nose. Even the cat seems to understand his usual gentle nature. His transfer will be final this weekend. I and many parishioners are grateful to the Browns and to Patrick’s guardian angel for saving him and finding him a new home. What’s even better is that it is a home in which he is happy and content.

So Patrick the parish dog is doing better than I could have hoped. It is now I who will likely be the pet sitter, although he is now banned from the parish grounds. While many of us will miss him, we are happy for him finding a new home and new lease on life. Now it is my turn to adjust. I no longer have an excited companion thrilled to see me walk into the room and I now go to bed at night alone without him guarding me and watching me until I settled into bed. No more spontaneous “pet me and play with me� sessions. No more having him sit at attention waiting for my command or having him hop on my bed while I dressed in the morning. No longer would I have an escort as I walk across the property. Life is once again common.

God has given us many gifts in this life. Mainly he has given us the gift of each other. People always come first. This is why Patrick had to leave. I could not take the chance that in this very public place he would hurt someone again. But his absence reminds be that there are many gifts in this world and too many that we take for granted. We need to stop sometimes and appreciate the many gifts we have. Our family, friends, health, talents and skills, each new day we are granted and the companionship of God’s creatures in this wonderful creation in which we live. Too often we wait until we loose something before we realize how good it was. With Patrick I knew I was lucky to have him. I just did not realize how much of a gift he was. I am glad to share this gift of Patrick with Jim and Barbara. They deserve this companion who is among God’s blessings. I can only give thanks for the years he was with me and such a joyful part of this parish. Now I must look to other gifts but I know they are there. God has made it so.