I didn’t think that I would ever love anyone or anything as much as I loved Jack. For me, it was love at first sight. There was something about him that captivated me. Maybe it was his dark eyes, or maybe the way he made me laugh, but I knew instantly that he was my soulmate, and I knew he felt the same way.
It wasn’t long before he moved in. The whole house seemed to revolve around him. We would eat breakfast together every morning before I left for work and when I got home in the evening, we would be back in the kitchen, him hovering behind me as I rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher after dinner.
When I got laid off after 17 years of doing my best, he sat with me on the couch while I cried and listened to me as I wailed about being a failure. But I knew he didn’t see me that way. His quiet touch, his unspoken support was always there.
Eventually, I did find another job. One I really loved. I was good at it and after a while, got a big promotion. Jack and I sat on the kitchen floor drinking white wine, as I toasted, “Here’s to me!”
One day, we found out he was sick. I gave him injections and loved him even more. One day, he died, and it broke my heart.
How quiet was the house. It was different. There were no more early morning talks while we both enjoyed breakfast. His favorite chair sat empty. He seemed to be everywhere, just not physically there.
It took a while, but I finally left that house and moved far away. It would be years before I let myself love again like I loved Jack. But, I did.
I was in a new city, a new home, but there was something missing. Maybe it was my heart remembering Jack, maybe it was my need to be needed. Cautiously, I started to seek out a new relationship and that’s when I met Dexter. Dexter was already in a relationship, but he guided me to a friend who changed my life.
Her name was Lori, and she had a vast network of friends and people she loved. I told her about Jack and the love we had, and she listened with tears in her own eyes like she had experienced the same type of love.
About two months later, I found myself back in Lori’s living room getting ready to be introduced to a new love. And there she was. Small, beautiful and sweet. She weighed one pound at birth and seemed to crave love as much as I did. We named her Dixie—a tribute to the south.
While Jack was a rough and tumble Pug, Dixie was a sweet southern belle, a Shih Tzu, who could manipulate me and my husband like Scarlett O’Hara did to her many suitors.
All of a sudden, our house was lively again. Dixie would be silently watching the world go by, laying on the back of Tony’s reclining chair and then bark with the fury of a wolf defending their territory if someone walked on the sidewalk in front of our house. She would run in zig-zagged patterns around the living room, darting under tables and around chairs just to expel energy, biting your toes if she got the chance.
She is famous for the way she lays down in front of you as you are trying to get dressed because she wants a belly rub. There is just something in her demeaner that says, “I know you are in a hurry, but you have time for me, and I need this.”
Dixie can tell time. Tony and I have a ritual that every day at 5:00, we sit on the lanai and compare our days, sipping wine and listening to the music of Ann Sweeten. It didn’t take Dixie long to figure out that she needed to be a part of this and suddenly, at 4:55, she would be out there, looking for us to join her. In her younger days, when Tony was working, she would suddenly get up and go to the laundry room door leading to the garage and sit patiently waiting for him to arrive—and within ten minutes, the garage door would open and he would be home, with Dixie being the first to greet him.
I wish I could say that Dixie loves me the way Jack did, but I can’t. Dixie is daddy’s girl, and it is Tony who is her hero and target of affection. They are a funny pair to watch; each taking care of the other in their own way.
I love her for choosing Tony. She makes him laugh and brings joy into our home. She gives Tony that unconditional love that Jack gave me, and I am glad.
I love her way of claiming furniture and space. The red chair in my office that used to be mine is now hers, as she is content to lay there while I work. The hassock in the living room is her place to be while we watch TV, and her fluffy beds are in each bedroom. The table in the lanai has a bed on the bottom shelf, all for her as she listens to our music.
I love the way she by-passes me and goes right to Tony, scratching his leg lightly, if she is hungry or has to go out. She knows I will take care of her, but not as well as Tony.
I love the way they both entertain me—him putting her 5:00 treat in his mouth, sticking out like a stubby cigar and her bracing herself on the chair, jumping up on her hind legs to take it from his mouth and eating it quickly, enjoying every bite.
Dixie is twelve now and recently had to have surgery and be hospitalized for several days. How quiet the house was without her. How empty the rooms seemed to be. Her toys, scattered in various rooms seemed to be as sad as we were that she wasn’t there.
I call her a “silly ass dog,” but I missed her so much. In the middle of the night, I thought I heard her bark, only to realize she wasn’t in the house. I also realized that the paw prints that Jack left on my heart have been filled by hers.
The medication that Dixie is on is finally working and we will pick her up from the animal hospital today. I didn’t wash her beds or her toys, she hates it when I do that. I just made more hard-boiled eggs for her and cleaned up her chair in the office.
Very soon, our house will be full again. Full of her antics, her barks and sneezes. She will be here with us, turning our house into a home like she did the first day we brought her here.
I love that silly ass dog more than I ever thought I would.
P.S. I still love you, Jack.
Editor’s Note:
I cannot say enough about the lady who brought Dixie into our lives. Lori Hopper, from Lori’s Shih Tzu Puppies in Wilmington, is probably the best breeder I have ever met. She has raised Shih Tzu’s for most of her life, and ensures that her dogs are going to good, loving homes—just like the one they came from.
When we brought Dixie home, she was house trained, social and outgoing. Lori gave us all of Dixie’s paperwork and birth history, she was up to date on her shots and, since we were new to Shih Tzu ownership, Lori explained their habits and the best food choices we could offer Dixie.
Dexter, whom we met in a Pet Store, is actually Dixie’s cousin. His new owner was there buying essentials and when I saw him, I fell in love. We got Lori’s contact information from his owner and are so glad we did.
If you are in the market for a furry object of pure love, contact Lori at 910-431-2639. Or,
910-431-2639
Wilmington, NC
Lori also helps to find new owners for pets who have lost their homes and families due to illness.
