An Ode to My "Oafus"

Around noontime today my sweet, sweet Spirit aka "Oafus" slipped into a peaceful sleep.  Her nickname "Oafus" came about from her strong stature and uncanny ability to trip me up and to knock Kellie for a roll. Her antics were all from the gentle giants kind nature but she was stronger than she realized.  I had her for nearly ten years and she brought much into my life. I rescued her from the street after she had broken her hip and could no longer hunt for food. She almost died trying.  It took a while for us to catch her--she was faster on three legs than we were on two.  Finally, one morning she lay on an old couch at my other apartment complex.  The maintenance man hauled her into my dog crate and the rest as they say is history.

I tried to foster her for awhile. It seems true that sometimes we don't pick the dog but rather the dog picks us.  Even though everyone kept telling me she was my dog I remained unconvinced. Finally I figured it out.  The vet was most kind in repairing the hip and reducing the cost of her care. I visited her twice a day and we'd walk around the animal hospital. I repeatedly reminded her to "put your foot down Spirit." She did.  She had a heart that wanted to please. She had one bad habit about chewing hard plastic items like TV remotes and electric hair blowers.  So when I finally realized she was mine, I bought a Spirit sized crate which saved both of us it seems.

Any of you who have ever had a pet knows the pain of the loss.  She was a kind and gentle "scent" hound. I'll always remember her walking with a slight limp on the left side from her surgery with her nose down trailing whatever had been in the yard.  Only one time did I see the true fox hound.  There were squirrels in the attic of my former apartment.  One remedy to get rid of them is to spray fox urine as a deterrent.  Unbeknownst to me the maintenance man had sprayed fox urine on the tree the squirrels used to get into the roof eave.  Spirit and I were walking nonchalantly down the sidewalk. All of a sudden her head snapped up and she raced toward the treated tree. It took me about fifteen minutes to pull that dog off that thing. She had finally found evidence of a fox...She never seemed any more triumphant.

I will miss her.  She wormed her way into my heart.  She even won over her older sister Kellie.  She hates to admit it but I know she misses her too.  The place won't be the same but I am grateful for the time the Lord allowed us to have her. I am grateful she is at peace.  I hope Randy Alcorn is right in his book on heaven. He makes a pretty good case that our animals will be there...