February 11, 2010

Amy and I received some bad news today. We found out that her beloved companion, Blackie, has prostate cancer. He has been a wonderful pet and friend to Amy for almost 13 years, helping to get her through some very difficult times. To say that he is "laid-back," is like saying that Mt. Everest is tall. It's true, but insufficient. Blackie has an agenda, and he's not going to rush through it. A plan as involved as walking over to get a drink of water may only come together after several hours of concentrated sleep.

Everyone loves Blackie: He is cute, despite his massive melon of a head. In fact, 90% of his body's weight is north of his neck. Most of the year he is shaggy, which gives him a sort of adorable, TV sitcom family look. People just want to pet him, but reciprocation is often slow in coming. A small child at the grooming salon was so excited to see him, he squatted down to Blackie's level and squealed, "Come here, Mr. Blackie!" To my wife's surprise, the dog responded. He immediately walked toward the child with those tiny, purposeful steps of his, and as the kid clapped his hands with happiness, the dog kept right on going past him, in order to sniff some spot on the floor.

He is a great guy to have around, even if he doesn't do much. When he's up, he follows one or both of us around from room to room, laying down but looking up, just being there. A few times a day, he will chase the cat down the hall, which seems to be exactly what the cat wants. The cat will hop sideways toward him, back arched, until the two are nose to nose. Blackie's head is so big, it would seem capable of swallowing Carlos in one gulp. But the cat has no fear. Maybe he knows the dog just wants to play, too. Blackie's tail goes up, twitches, then the cat turns and sprints away, with Blackie in futile, barking pursuit.

We're going to try to make the most of our remaining time with him. We didn't even ask the vet how long that might be. We just want to enjoy the elusive charms of His Royal Blackness until he's too tired to chase the cat, or open the bathroom door with his head.

Thanks for reading.