Getting back to our apartment the night that we brought little Calvin home for the first time, I knew I was in trouble. Not because I now had to keep something alive that would turn my whole life upside down and not because we hadn't cleared it with our landlord. I was in trouble because I hadn't told my parents we were getting a puppy. For those of you who are as close with your parents as I am...this was a BIG deal.
I figured since they weren't really 'dog people', they'd think it was irresponsible or impractical or some other word that starts with 'i' and generally has less than fond things to say about your actions. Thankfully, my plan of using Calvin's sweet little mug to win them over worked better than I could ever have guessed.
The real problem, as it turned out, was they loved him more than he was ready to be loved. I've probably mentioned this before, but after being accosted by a bearded crazy person on the way to my folks' place for the first time, he wanted nothing to do with any man ever again, especially not those with facial hair. My poor dear dad never even got the chance to make a first impression before Calvin wrote him off completely.
And so began months and months and months of my father doing anything he possibly could to try to win this six pound animal over with absolutely no success. He would rub his hands with Calvin's kibble, he would drop treats left, right and center, he would talk in an impossibly high octave, he would attempt to be a pack leader, and each time Calvin would respond with his typical flinch, bark, and avoidance. It actually bordered on heartbreaking at times.
Now, two-and-a-half years later, my dad's defining qualities of compassion, dedication, persistence and patience have brought forth a new side of Calvin. With some leadership from Theo's generally trusting demeanor, Calvin started to finally warm up to Dad who had spent a solid six months waiting to give this darn dog some love. Today, the only barks my dad gets are ones of excitement that are quickly followed by an affectionate and happy dog up on his lap for the rest of the visit.
While I certainly intend to bring over a nice bottle of single malt for pops later this evening, I think it's he and Calvin that gave me the best Fathers Day gift this year.
Any great Dad 'n Dog stories to share? Post it in the comments for your chance to win a free sample of dog food from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul!
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4 comments:
I'm really close to my parents too. I was visiting family in Florida when I "found" Meadow at the mall. I, too, didn't consult my parents before telling Delta that I'd have a travel companion for my return flight.
Well, my dad (who loves big dogs) saw the wriggling bag that housed Meadow and instantly declared that he could never love a "little" dog. Five minutes later - Meadow had him wrapped around her little paw. Six years later, he still tells all his friends that he never knew he could love a dog so much until he met my Meadow. It makes my heart smile.
Many years ago I had a friend who had to move but couldn't take her dog Coco. So my parents took her in. She was a mixed lab breed of some kind- basically one night stand. She went everywhere with my dad. When my father got seriously ill, she would mope around when he was in the hospital. When he would come home she never left his side and settled for short walks out to the backyard instead of long ones in the park and one the farm or down by the riber. When he ended up in the nursing home she would visit him and lay on the bed and as he got worse, she would just snuggle with him.When he died we had to take her to the funeral home to say goodbye and on her first visit to the cemtary she layed right down on his grave. She actually lived for a couple more years, although she was blind and deaf but was never the same without day. I think she was close to 20 when we finally had to have her suffering ended. We had her creamted and buried with dad.
...and then Ben was a sobbing mess.
Things my dad has done with/for dogs throughout my child/adulthood:
*wrapped dog in blanket to smuggle dog into a hotel as a large baby
*hidden with dog in bathroom of an overnight train to avoid being kicked off at the next stop because dogs aren't allowed on train
*called sobbing for a ride home from vet after he dutifully went back to collect dog's collar after dog died during surgery
*dressed and spray-painted dogs (using spray hair color) for halloween. Many times.
*massaged my dog, who he calls "little buddy"
*at 60 years old knocked out a dude in park who attempted to kick my dad's dog for barking at him
*used super-human strength to rip in half a nylon leash that was trapped in elevator door and strangling dog, all in a matter of about 4 seconds
*most recently, flown from Florida up to New York under the guise of visiting my mother when actually he just wanted to take dog back down with him to Florida because he missed dog
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