Chapter 38 - The Best Dog

This week's blog is hard to write for more than a few reasons. Considering the chaotic state of the world, Hamas' strikes in Israel and Putin's determination to take over the world, it might seem frivolous. Also the divisive state of our own country as we gear up for next year's elections may make a blog about a small black dog pretty inconsequential but I feel like I need to tell you Boh's story.

Over our 27 years of marriage, Dave and I have had five dogs. Each of them has had their own interesting origin story and tales of their antics over the years. Beemer, the mini Dachshund, ate a whole pizza once. Quincy, a Cocker-Lab mix, jumped and caught a bird in mid-flight. Oreo, a Border Collie, ran from the Main Street beach to the Cherry Grove fishing pier chasing shore birds. Shadow, a timid German Shepherd, stood down Dave who, arriving home late from a business trip, was just trying to come to bed.

Boh was a gentleman from the beginning. He showed up on our doorstep in November, 2010. We already had two dogs at the time, Oreo and Shadow, and Dave figured if the girls approved, he'd let him in the backyard. I came home to find the little scamp being fed and watered in our backyard. North Myrtle Beach Humane Society is a no kill shelter so I suggested Dave take him there the next day. Ironically, the shelter was closed the next day for Veteran's Day. So we took him to the vet instead. The vet declared him a Schipperke mix and about a year old. Within a few weeks of "adopting him" we took him to Baltimore for Thanksgiving. He walked into the Sheraton as if "to the manor born" and very quickly figured out proper hotel behavior. Even the desk clerk told Dave he had a "sexy" dog.

In his younger years, Boh would jump on the sofa, the lounge chair, or just into my lap and sit there while I read. This earned him the hashtag #Bohknowsbooks. In the summer Dave and I would sit on the first step of the pool rehashing our day and drinking a glass of wine. Boh also made himself comfortable sitting on the first step between us. In 2020 when Dave was stuck in Jordan for nine months, Boh was my constant companion. While he'd always been a mama's boy, that time together sealed the deal as we would spend every morning at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex greeting all his friends, human and canine. As he got older, he slowed down but even up until a few weeks ago he was bounding up three flights of stairs with a gusto unusual for a dog his age.

Was he special? Of course he was to us. Was he good? You bet he was. Did he rescue orphans from a burning building? Uh, maybe not but Boh was a loyal, sweet tempered dog who was excited to travel, lived every day as if it was his first, loved his people, and did not realize he was a dog. He will be missed for many years to come.

I have often had friends and customers ask me for books to help them deal with grief. Personally, having lost family and friends in my life, I don't think there are any books that really can help to alleviate the pain of a heavy heart, so I am not going to recommend any books this week. Sometimes I think you just have to talk it out, so friends...thank you for listening.