Lucy, OUR little HERO
Many years ago, a black Labrador retriever named Tarzan was apart of our family. He was a champion in the hunting field. …So much did Tarzan love to retrieve, he would bring us tame ducks from our neighbor’s pond, live snakes, an unwrapped birthday gift from a little boy’s birthday party, and he even brought us a titanium alloy prosthetic leg from the neighbor’s garage. We were horrified! Admittedly, my children enjoyed playing with new ducks. Thankfully, they were forever unharmed! After his passing, a brilliant idea came over me. Valentine’s Day was fast approaching and I needs a special gift for my husband. “I will buy him a new Labrador retriever!” I thought. However, I knew Tarzan was one of a kind, so I decided that I needed to find his opposite. Male would become female, and black would become white. “A white female Labrador retriever – Prefect!” Time was short and the search was on! The task seemed nearly impossible. Then one day while perusing through the mall, there in the window sat a little white female Labrador puppy. She had been sent from a puppy mill as the runt of the litter. Lucy won our hearts over with her ability to grin and show her teeth. Fate had brought us together! That was until her severe separation anxiety disorder reared its’ nasty self. Imagine having returned home from a nice dinner with your family, only to discover the couch ripped apart, your recliner shredded, and your love-seat unrecognizable! This was true for us, as the damage was incomprehensible. Most people would have reacted hysterically, followed by a quick trip to the pound for the hairy criminal. I could only but think that somehow this was my own fault. “Had I provided enough chew bones, or squeaky toys, might this have been avoided?” I wondered. For the next year I held Lucy to a lower standard from my previous champion. I still felt disappointed and betrayed for all the damage, and I felt she needed to prove herself as a family member.
Then, late one night while my husband was working the graveyard shift, Lucy unveiled her loyalty to our family. It was two-thirty in the morning when an intruder tried to enter our home. With a vicious call in her voice (one I had never heard before), Lucy announced to the villain that she was wide-awake and willing to fight to the death to protect her sleeping family. The man must have understood her serious business in guarding our home; Thankfully the perpetrator fled. That night could have ended very differently if it weren’t for that precious Labrador retriever. She alerted us and saved our lives! That night she became my little hero, and was instantly forgiven for the previous crimes against our furniture. Now Lucy’s time with us has ended. Though her mind wanted to stay, her body just couldn’t go on any longer. What I would give to have the time back with that insane puppy. You will be missed!
Lucy,
Thank you for inspiring me to write one of the greatest children’s stories, “A Wildlife Tale”
My greatest wish is for your spirit to bring happiness to all children, as it did ours.
My little hero, you will be never be forgotten