Feb.20

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This Week in Freudenfreude: Jumpin' Jack Flash, It Was a Gas, Gas, Gas (Redux)

When we ran a remembrance of staff dachshund Flash last week, we really did not intend to have a sequel. However, we got a wonderful outpouring of support from readers, which was much appreciated. Some of those messages had thoughts and wisdom we thought was worth sharing, particularly for those readers who have pets, and even more particularly for those readers who have also lost pets recently (and we heard from several). So, here goes:

• J.M. in Boulder, CO: I read your item about Flash to my wife, and we both teared up. He sounds like a very good dog. I am so sorry to hear about his passing.
  
  We have had the company of about 15 dogs over our 47-year marriage. We know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet, so we send you our best wishes at a difficult time. I hope you are right about Flash's being with Bob and a lot of squirrels to chase.
  
  One of my favorite dogs was Buddy. One frigid December my wife saw a classified ad in the paper, back when there were such things. It said, "Awesome spaniel free to good home." She immediately called and talked to a young lady who had lost her home. She could move in with a friend, but not with the dog, so he was spending cold nights in her truck. We met Buddy and really liked him. He was a 5-year-old spaniel mix with a full tail that never stopped wagging. We took him in and he was truly awesome. Then a few months later we noticed one of his eyes was swollen. We took him in for a glaucoma diagnosis and some surgery to try to save his sight. Then the same thing happened to the other eye. So our "free" dog turned out to be damned expensive. But he was worth it.
  
  He lived with us for 10 years after he lost his sight and was always very happy. He developed a gait like a Tennessee walking horse to avoid walking off any cliffs. Every so often he would sneak out of the house and either we or our neighbors would discover him strutting around in the middle of our cul-de-sac street with his tail wagging a mile a minute. His adventure would energize him for days after that.
  
  He had his lair under an end table in our family room, and that is where he spent most of his time. Eventually he only came out to eat, but the tail still wagged. Then all the dogs in the house picked up Giardia. Buddy was 15 by then and was very sick. His tail stopped wagging for the very first time, and we knew it was time to let him go. The whole family went to the vet to pet him while the doctor gave him the shot, and there were tears all around. Like you, I hope he is in a better place where he can go out to explore and see everything with his restored eyesight.
  
  
• S.W. in New York City, NY: I'm so, so sorry to learn about Flash. I thought your Freudenfreude was a beautiful piece of writing about him. I just know that he's chasing (but never catching) squirrels in dog heaven with our Diggee Adigius—not a dachshund, just a lovable mountain mutt.
  
  
• P.W. in Springwater, NY: I am so sorry for your loss. I've truly enjoyed hearing about Otto and Flash over the years and I sense that even your readers who are not "dog people" enjoyed their exploits, too.
  
  I started reading today's post this morning, got interrupted, and was just finishing the last two entries a few minutes before 5. Like clockwork, half-way through Schadenfreude, I was surrounded by three dogs reminding me it was time for dinner. Because I always enjoy Freudenfreude, I told them they'd have to wait a few minutes and proceeded to read about Flash. Having lived with dogs most of my life, I set up their food a bit teary-eyed thinking about Flash and Otto, and how fortunate we both are to have such companionship.
  
  If the universe is indeed a just place, Flash might run into my Aliy, whom I raised for Guiding Eyes. Aliy decided guide dog work was not quite right for her, so returned to us as a pet. I try very hard not to have favorites, but Aliy was always special. She died several years ago after living to 15; a ripe old age for Labrador retrievers. I'm sure she'd make a fine guide for all dogs crossing over. Even with three dogs in our household now, not to mention the guide dog puppies who are with us for a short time before going off to bigger things, hardly a day goes by that I don't think of Aliy. Freudenfreude indeed.
  
  My sincerest sympathies to you and Otto, who I suspect is missing Flash as well.
  
  
• J.A. and N.A. in Walla Walla, WA: We will be reminding Teddy, our 5-year-old Labradoodle, to be on the lookout for Flash one fine day, way on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, where our Tedsters could be easily tricked into dropping his chewy, and which we invite Flash to snatch up. We send bushy-tailed, squirrel-scented love vibes out to Otto and his human family. Thank you for sharing your loss so that so many of us who admire your work can express our sincere empathy! ¡Que viva Flash!
  
  
• G.R. in Tarzana, CA: Just wanted to send along my sympathies regarding Flash. Your story about him made me feel as if I actually knew him too. There is something about the passing of a dog that is different than other passings. My Golden Bob (a movie dog, you can see him as Budda in Snow Buddies) passed almost 7 years ago, and I still often think I feel his presence around the house in his favorite spots, which I always find comforting and pleasurable, so Flash will always be with you.
  
  
• M.N. in Lake Ann, MI: I am so sorry to hear of Flash's passing. I have owned 7 dachshunds in my life at various times, though all were of the female and miniature persuasion. They all have been unique and funny individuals, but with the common thread of the Dachshund Independent Streak and a bit of a tendency for revenge for unintended slights (such as NOT providing part of my dinner to them upon request, whereupon one dog took and hid just one shoe from each of three pairs).
  
  My girls were all fiercely loyal, and generally velcroed to my person whenever possible. As I write this, two are sleeping under my desk in a single dog bed. It is never easy to lose a companion animal, for us or for our other companion animals. I hope you and Otto get through this time as well as is possible.
  
  I offer a sentiment that has helped me in the past, though it was originally written in regard to a horse: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan..." from "The Once Again Prince" in Separate Lifetimes, by Irving Townsend
  
  
• M.B. in Denver, CO: I am a vet tech and have been with many animals as they passed, including my own. I feel the love you have for him in the eulogy you wrote. I am not religious, but I am spiritual, and offer the following (which I recite to myself during euthanasia): "Spirit of the dogs, thank you for sharing with us the life of your child, Flash. I know he had his misbehaving moments, we all do, but he was loved, and he loved his family. Please bring the spirit of your child home to you, and look after his family here on earth. Thank you."
  
  
• G.K. in Blue Island, IL: You both had kind words for me when I lost Roxie a few years ago, so let me return the favor to (Z) and to Otto, both of whom are experiencing loss.
  
  I have no doubt at all that Flash lived the very best life he could ever have experienced with both of his Forever Dads. That he passed among those who loved and cared for him was, at the very minimum, a privilege not experienced by 99+% of the animals on this planet, and sadly not even by a significant number of his fellow canines. Even better, he undoubtedly lived a life of interest, fun, and mutual devotion and companionship. Every day must have been gravy.
  
  Please know you were among the best things to have happened to Flash, and here's hoping that whatever follows is every bit as good, if not better, than what came before.
  
  
• F.M. in Fargo, ND: As I march toward the inevitable, I am increasingly reminded of my peers (and youngers) who have completed theirs. I've always thought of myself as being ready to go, but the frequency of these reminders (and my responses to them) suggest that I am not. The closer to me, the heavier the sadness. This is equally so for fluffy family members. Flash has been family (once removed), and a constant promoter of happiness for as long as he's been curled at (Z)'s feet. I will miss him.
  
  
• R.S. in Columbia, SC: As I read your item concerning the passing of Flash, my belief was reinforced that in 2004 as a novice follower, I had found other members of my tribe...

(Z) and Otto thank everyone who wrote in—this is just a small sampling of the very large number of very kind messages. The thought that maybe Flash is having fun right now with other Electoral-Vote.com dogs (and cats?) is a very nice one. Oh, and we hope we did not violate any confidences in sharing these condolences.

Also, we had quite a number of readers who expressed an interest in making a contribution in Flash's memory. (Z) and (A) and a couple of readers discussed this, and thought carefully about it, and would ask that anyone who wishes to do so consider Pet Haven of Minnesota's Community Response Program, which is helping with the pets of families who have been displaced or otherwise impacted by ICE operations in Minnesota. We believe that, unlike many other fundraising operations, a one-time donation here will not subject you to a lifetime of fundraising appeals. That's what we were told, at least—fingers crossed. And since Flash got a pick-me-up when HE was displaced by Bob's passing, it seems appropriate to pay it forward to other pets who have been displaced through no fault of their own, and no fault of their humans.

Again, many thanks from (Z) and Otto, and have a good weekend, all! (Z)