My Doberman, Ally, is dead.
Both dogs-Shadow and Ally- and I walked a neighbor who had joined us for the evening out to the fence serving to keep Ally confined within our 10 acres, then turned around and came back into the house.
As Ally was bounding up to the porch, he stumbled and almost fell but caught himself then continued on into the house; he was excited, I knew,because he knew the evening was over and it was time for his snacks-he loved his snacks-he loved his food; actually, I can think of nothing Ally did not love...
well, except for the all too frequent trips to the vet during the all too brief time we had with him.
But even during each of those times, this dog was remarkable; tolerating even excruciating pain without a thought of using those teeth, the power of those jaws to stop the person from inflicting the pain, frequently evoking surprise by the practiced and seasoned vet.
But when we got inside the house, he collapsed, all in a heap, fell over onto his right side and died.
It was over in less than 45 seconds.
He was a little over 7 years old.
This little guy arrived on a Continental Airlines flight and was shipped by the breeder of the Aeolus Doberman line of pedigreed Dobes whomI met as I was moving from Texas to Massachusetts back in 1995.
Candace, at Aeolus Dobermans had taught me about her remarkable creatures during the summer before I left Houston and had sold me Ally's namesake to help me through a move I never intended to make and to create a new life.
Therefore, when we lost the 1st Ally at the age of 10, there was no question, I wanted, no I needed, a 2nd Ally.
We drove to Sacramento to retrieve this great- grand- nephew of Aeolus Heart and Soul in late February- a bit of a trick in the unpredictable winter weather in the High Sierras.
But the weather cooperated and we had an uneventful ride through the mountains making it to the airport in time to view the onslaught of 20 - 30crates of tiny puppies from Houston.
There were Bull Dogs, Poodles, Rottweilers, Terriers arrayed in a row.
Some waiting for their owners and some already walking on unsteady legs, attached to a tether, looking up at the stranger who would introduce them to their new livesat the end of the tether with fear and with hope.
But I could not see any Dobermans.
Beginning to worry as I scanned all of the crates, my gaze dropped to a purplish plastic crate off to the right of the line, by itself.
And there stood Ally, all 26 pounds of him, trembling, covered with puppy smells and just like all the others, tiny body trembling but more, it seemed to me, with excitement and with curiosity, than with fear.
And so, this truly splendid 26 pound being took residence in our hearts, our minds and our 4 creature family until March 13 when at somewhere around 9 in the evening, he left an 85 pound hole.
I don't know if you have ever known a Doberman...
really known a Doberman.
If so, then you would have seen what all Doberman lovers saw in Ally: He was the quintessence of life: energy, vitality and enthusiasm.
Physically magnificent, he was a red Dobe with long legs, the long ears that Candace is known for, the intelligence, alertness of all Dobes but this guy was more.
What a fitting name of your line Candace for this guy, especially: Aeolus Heart and Soul, Ally's heart and soul shown out through those alert and intelligent beautiful amber eyes to all who stopped to take notice.
Dobermans are exquisite creatures.
Ally was my 3rd, biased as I am, in favor of Dobermans.
But he was the 1st who would not fight, the 1st to look at all creatures, whether lizard, dog, bird or person, with love mixed with a tangible sense of curiosity you could read in his face: " Who are you?" "Why have you come to see me?" "Of course, you have come to see me.
" We forget, don't we? We forget the awful intensity of grief- how all encompassing and how incredibly visceral it is...
taking more than we have, more than we can give.