On His Way to the Great Dog House in the Sky
Ray Skwire Scene in Philly
Soon after my parents moved to New Jersey in 1992, my sister and her boyfriend relocated to the area as well, with their two dogs: a pit bull named Desma (where kate comes up with these names I’ll never know: we once had a cat she named “Twinkle”, whose only purpose in life was to sit on the back of whatever recliner you were occupying where she would wait until you were absorbed in TV and then fart on you) and a pit bull/rottweiler mix named Psycho. And as you might imagine, eventually the two dogs mated and Desma delivered a litter. I can’t remember if the pups were given away, sold, or taken to the pound, but of the two that my parents kept, Cow died very young and Sherman stuck around.
Most people never hear anything but horror stories about pit bulls. I’m here to tell you that’s inaccurate. Just like with any other dog, it’s all in how you raise them, and from the start, Sherman’s been a lapdog trapped in the body of a 60 or 70 pound pitbull. He’s as gentle as a lamb, but because he’s never known his own strength, he’s always left a trail fo destruction in his wake, from his tail that’s been known to knock over vases to small children bonked to the ground as his giant head and tongue went searching for kisses. Sam has always been terrified of Sherman, even though there’s never been anything to fear. In Sherman’s case, it has always been true that his bark is WAY worse than his bite. We used to that if a burglar decided to ignore the terrifying sounds that come out of Sherman, all he’d have to do is throw some kibble at the dog and he’d be able to waltz out with whatever valuables my parents keep in the house.
How gentle is the dog? Let me put it to you this way: for years, my folks owned a cantankerous cat named Simon (now deceased), one of the grumpiest cats you could hope to meet. and why not? You’d be pissed off too if everyone thought you were a guy, and then you had a litter of kittens.
Simon didn’t care about her kittens, and most of them ran off and went feral. A tiny grey one stuck around, and since Simon could care less about the thing, it was up to Sherman and Desma to raise it. It was the weirdest thing i’ve ever seen: two massive pitbulls carefully and gingerly watching over the kitten, now named Thomas, moving it around, licking its belly, playing with it. As Thomas grew up, he honestly thought he was a dog: how many cats do you know that come along on the evening walk, come when you call, and eat with the dogs? And the dogs did a repeat with a different stray kitten my mom adopted, a runt that’s now one of the most ferocious tabbies I’ve ever met.
Sherman’s nearly 20 years old, and time has finally caught up with the old boy. A few weeks ago, he lost control of his bowels and bladder. His legs are a mess. He’s deaf, and practically blind. My mom, who loves Sherman like a fourth child, is heartbroken. We all are: Sherman’s been a part of the family for so long, he even has his own seat at the dinner table (I am SO not kidding about this). He’s been the winter foot-warmer for my mom and dad for as long as I can remember.
“I can’t bear to see him like this,” my mom said last week, “and he’s scheduled for a visit to the vet on Monday.” The only reason she put it off for this long is because Sam was visiting, and Mom knew she was going to be a wreck for the rest of the week after he goes.
I could probably go on for volumes about Sherman: his trips in the boat, the way he’s always been so good to our kids, the way he lets people dress him up without complaint, but i think the simplest way to put it is like this: it’s a crying shame that we people outlive our dogs. The fact of the matter is that I prefer dogs to their owners most of the time, and that’s doubly true of Sherman.
Rest in peace buddy, and if there is a God, I hope he gives you as much steak and liver as you can eat, and as more room to run around than you could have dreamed of here on earth.
And hey, put in a good word for me when you get there. He’s more likely to listen to a good boy like you than an old bastard like me.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
My friend’s pit bull is a massive ball of cuddle, so I have no trouble believing Sherman is as well.
I hope your family weathers the loss of their friend well. My mom has an older dog in precarious health and I know we’ll all be very sad when he goes.
May 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
[...] – Brendan also has a very nice eulogy of sorts and it’s a good read on Sherman. Possibly related posts: [...]
June 7th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
[...] Brendan Calling Blog Archive On His Way to the Great Dog House Posted by root 5 hours ago (http://brendancalling.com) A few weeks ago he lost control of his bowels and bladder my mom has an older dog in precarious health and i know we 39 ll all be very sad when he goes leave a reply you must be logged in to post a comment powered by wordpress theme pdawn 1 0 created by p Discuss | Bury | News | Brendan Calling Blog Archive On His Way to the Great Dog House [...]
June 9th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
[...] Brendan Calling Blog Archive On His Way to the Great Dog House Posted by root 1 day 3 hours ago (http://brendancalling.com) Know that come along on the evening walk come when you call and eat with the dogs the way he lets people dress him up without complaint you must be logged in to post a comment powered by wordpress theme pdawn brendan alex even if i was eligible to compete Discuss | Bury | News | Brendan Calling Blog Archive On His Way to the Great Dog House [...]