When I moved back to the USA from living overseas for 7 years, I was really lost. It was a shocking cultural transition that I was not prepared for. It took me a long time to "become American" again. I lived with my sister, who had just bought a house before the market crashed. My rent helped her out, but it was a 1-bed 1-bath house, so I lived in the back yard in the "barn". Which I renovated into a nice little loft space. (But no bathroom.) I quickly burned through my savings. 10 years of savings for Hungary was about a year's salary for a secretary here in Seattle. That went fast. I couldn't get a job because I had no recent US experience. I was "at sea", as they say. My sister and I wound up getting a dog. A black lab, shepherd, husky mix about 5 months old. The owner had a sudden job change and needed the dog to go to someone who was going to be around (she was moving to Arizona for a traveling sales job). After some initial confusion about our roles, my sister became "Auntie" and I became "Dad" to our girl, Layna. From Day 1 she listened to me. I never ordered her around. I just talked to her like you would to another person. And she understood. She came everywhere with me, even when I got a job, she was welcome at my series of dog-friendly workplaces. As I built my new life in America, went through jobs and relationships, it was always Layna and I together. She was my partner and my friend throughout the most significant changes I had ever gone through in my life. She was much more of a "person" than a dog. When I'd go to the coffee shop, I'd tell her to wait outside. And no matter how long I was inside, she'd still be waiting in the same spot for me when I came out. She was brilliant with kids, cats, and other dogs. Never got in a single fight. Never bit anyone. Had that Labrador "soft mouth" and would gently take food; not snatch it. When we would go someplace, like a house party, I'd walk her around the edge of the yard and tell her this was as far as she could go. She would understand and self-regulate, and stay in the yard, no matter the distractions that passed on the sidewalk, etc. Her sweet eyes told people that she wasn't dangerous - despite being a big black 70-pound dog - and kids immediately took to her. She was just as good with my wife, too. Completely voice-controlled, we only used a leash when other people were worried. She was my daily companion for 15 years and 3 months, and died on June 14th. Surrounded by friends and family, on her favorite bed, in her favorite spot in the back yard under our Douglas Fir tree. My wife and I have never known each other without Layna, and our lives have changed now. We are sad, but we also knew she lived a very long and very happy life, and she told us when it was time to go, and we let her go. I'm sad. https://imgur.com/a/rYerefY (That would've been a photo of her, but I can't be fucked to figure out what stupid stunts I need to do to make it show up. So click it. She was beautiful.)
Condolences, amigo. I'm there with you. Lost one of my childhood dogs a few months ago. My wife's family made the call to put down her childhood dog, in about an hour from now. We both cried a lot yesterday when we heard the news, and more to come soon, I'm sure. Fuck 2020. Fuck it so hard.
Lockdown during a pandemic is a whole lot nicer when your pile in the car with your wife and dog and go to some deserted bit of wilderness and just walk together. Of course we can still do that, the two of us. But "getting the dog out for some exercise" was too compelling to ignore, while "we should take a walk" often gets sidetracked by other things.
Good to know. I just used the only link imgur gave me. I know I'm not cool if I use imgur, and I should use something else, but fuck all of fucking everything and fuck that too. Thanks for helping people see my girl... I miss her, and don't give a fuck about much else right now.