Puppenstein

I had felt love before but never complete and total trust and partnership. Not until I met Ely McGee. He was about 9lbs at the time. He had red hair, an interest in all things trash, and four legs. I had this beautiful boy for nearly 15 years. We overcame so much together. Virtual self-inflicted homelessness, my father's death, his own cancer (twice), near loss of his front leg, marriage, and finally two children.

It brings me joy to know that he made such a great impact on my two-legged babies. Despite having only been in their lives for 2.5 and 4 years, they remember him as well as anyone can for that age. My son had a particular attachment to Ely. The day we asked the vet to assist us in helping him move on because he had torn his heartvalve and breathing was no longer a simple task, I worried most about my 2.5 year old son. Nevermind that my biggest fear for the past decade and a half was coming to fruition, I could find a way to rationalize emotionally what was happening but my son, he didn't have those coping mechanisms yet.

Thanks to our warm and wonderful vet and his kind and caring staff, we were well cared for and in every aspect they made sure to gently guide us through making those moments as painless and peaceful as could be asked for.

We left our Schmoop there so we could make arrangements to bury on a piece of my husband's family's property 3 hours away that we refer to as "The Farm". When we returned to get our boy we shielded the kids from knowing he was wrapped up and tucked away in our makeshift, animal proof "casket".

The following days my husband found himself unable to sleep without letting Ely out, turning off the lights and the two of them setting the alarm and walking up the stairs together. He began scouring PetFinder and other sites for a German Short Haired Pointer or Doberman mix. Our boy Ely had been a love child between two purebreds and he made such a wonderful member of the family. I guess my husband thought perhaps he could recreate Schmoop's intelligence, independence, and loyalty if he picked the same breeds.

A few days after his passing I determined I needed several months to cope with my growing grief. I needed a break to heal. I didn't want to deal with potty training a puppy or all the training that goes into caring for a young dog. Ely was one of the most intelligent animals I had ever met. He knew more words than I could track and he fit into the rhythm of our life. He never did outgrow the trash eating part though.

Hardly seven days had passed when my husband called me and asked me to look at an email he sent me. There was a 15month old German Shorthaired puppy named Rambo for adoption at our local Humane Society. I stalled a day or two hoping the dog would be adopted or my husband would forget about the small black haired, sad eyed boy with the white speckled chest like our Schmoop. But he didn't forget. And he still couldn't sleep. I realized my husband had been with Ely for only about 9 months less than I had. He needed to be able to grieve in his way too.

So the next day I took the kids to meet Rambo. As we sat in the puppy visiting room I was struck by what a happy, friendly little creature he was and I laughed. This very thing, his lack of intimidation, must have been exactly why "Rambo" was given back to the Humane Society a second time. So on September 28, 2010 we adopted him.

I asked my kids for help in naming our new doggy. My son adamantly insisted that his dog was still at the vet's office and he wanted to go back. So poor Rambo's name was almost changed to "This isn't my dog". My daughter was sure they had meant to name him Rainbow instead. But finally after a little debate between Luigi and some other cartoon like names they decided upon Levi Cash (after the man in black).

Levi's paperwork was pretty standard, however, I noticed some missing months in his history and then an oddly descriptive reason for return from his previous owners. It seems as if our boy had been adopted as a small pup, given back at 7 months, adopted again 2 months later only to be returned within 3 months. By the time we had gotten him at 15 months old he was quite unsocialized and had spent most of his life confined in some way or another. His second owners had admitted to returning him because, among other reasons (like he barked at the vacuum and wasn't great on a leash - still isn't awesome on either of those accounts) he was left in a powder room daily and damaged the door frame. Hmm, wonder why? So our totally goofy pup wasn't sure what to do with his new found freedom.

This led to a few rather expensive problems. Puppenstein managed to get happy tail hitting the tip of his tail on the door frame everytime he pushed through to get out. The sore couldn't be fixed after several months of trying and now instead of the long tail he once had, there is a little nub. I felt like I had broken the poor animal.

No sooner than the idiot healed from that surgery then he tried to climb the fence for a squirrel and wrecked his ACL/MCL and had to have surgery yet again. Six months and $4,000 later if I was unsure of this dog before I knew we were in it for the long haul now. I am not sure anyone else would've had the patience with this little dynamo.

We have worked with personal trainers for his separation anxiety and he still lacks manners severly, but he has become an important part of all of our lives. He loves us all beyond measure and his joy is infectious. My husband said it perfectly, "I'm not sure if he was the perfect dog for us but I am sure we were the right family for him". Happy 5th birthday Levi.