Rest In Peace My Sweet Friend

Puppers Henson. Sweet friend and lazy dog. :)

Puppers became a part of our family in June of 2003. He was so tiny he could barely reach the next step as he tried to climb onto our porch. He showed up covered in Sarcoptic Mange, malnourished, and had clearly been abused judging by his frightened and skittish demeanor.

I had recently been told by my sweet husband, "no more strays!", as we had only just moved in and I'd already taken in a few cats and another dog. I called him right away and explained that it would cost $20 to take this puppy to the pound and $20 for the medicine he needed to get better. I didn't want the responsibility of that decision so I left it to him and he quickly replied that I'd already made my mind up what I wanted to do so just go ahead and buy the medicine.

It took 8 weeks of daily treatment for the mange to begin to heal. I covered him in the foul smelling medicine every morning and left him in the kennel with food and water. I talked to him  when I went outside and sat by his kennel often just to remind him that he wasn't alone. He didn't whine or make much noise at all. I think he was just glad to have a place to rest and heal.


Eventually he was a cute fat little fuzz ball and he began to trust me. He still wouldn't come inside our home for many years and it took about that long for him to trust my husband. Loud noises frightened him and since we live in the country there were hunters and fireworks and coyotes and all manner of noisy things. The poor little thing was so nervous sometimes that I wondered if he would ever feel safe. After a while he began to trust us all though and He became our friend and a member of our family.

 His loyalty to me specifically began when I treated his mange I think, and grew over the years as he found many opportunities to need me. When he was well enough to leave the kennel he lived in our front yard. It was fenced and big enough for a dog his size to live in and get plenty of exercise. I felt it was completely safe for him and had no worries. One morning however, at about 7am I heard a terrible sound. The crying and moaning was awful and I couldn't get outside fast enough. I could see him standing in the middle of the yard but didn't see a problem right away until he shook his head and let out a mournful howl that broke my heart. This identified the source of his discomfort; he had somehow gotten a chain link stuck in his eyelid! This was a heavy duty chain used for securing cars to a tow line and weighed about two or three pounds. I don't know how he found it to this day as there were no chains in the front yard, nor did I ever figure out how he got it through the top of his eyelid but there it was nonetheless. I coaxed him over and calmed him as best I could in order to assess the situation. I had no choice but to try and get the thing out as quickly as possible. The link had remained open enough that I could pull it out if he would let me. I prayed for him as I began and he let me finish. I doctored the wound and let him love on me all he wanted even though I can't stand being licked. Once again, I had proven myself to him and he never forgot that.
He would get into similar harrowing situations several times over the next few years and thankfully God was gracious and allowed me to arrive and help him just in time.

 Puppers hated riding in the car and we didn't force the issue often, but when we had to for vet visits we often followed up with treats. He loved vanilla ice cream. I know, I know.... ice cream is people food and dogs have specific nutrition needs. I've been schooled by friends already but I gotta say, a little vanilla ice cream never hurt anyone and sometimes it makes a scary drive or visit to the doctor's office a little more bearable; at least Puppers and I thought so.

Even as a puppy, he was calm around me. He just knew somehow that I needed peace and he was such a peaceful influence. He would come into my office and sit with me while I wrote, usually with Gladys, the huge stuffed gorilla pictured here. Before I moved into the bigger space, he would come and lie under my desk at my feet. He was always gentle with me, but for a while he was a brute with other dogs. He would pick fights with dogs bigger and meaner than he, which was really surprising because he was always so gentle with people. He stopped when he was attacked, in our front yard, by two stray Pit Bulls. They almost killed him, ripping an ear nearly off. The vet was shocked when the ear healed and he hadn't lost it. He said Puppers must be a real scrapper. He was a survivor for so many years that I think he was ready for this transition from life on earth to life in heaven. He was diagnosed with heart worms and had arthritis so the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter worked against him for the past couple of years.

I'm not a "dog person". It's not that I have anything against animals, I just have a "take 'em or leave 'em" feel about animals in general. I respect that God made them and like us, they serve a purpose but Puppers was different somehow and he found his way into my heart. He was more than a dog to me; he was my friend and I will miss him.  Rest in peace Puppers.