Thor you were part of a deception.
My wife and I felt that our son needed a younger dog a pup.
Someone he could play with and grow up with. We already had Dawny; she
was seven and already slowing down due to arthritis. She watched our son her boy
actually with an intensity that amazed me. She wouldn t even take a potty break until
my wife or I were present. She loved Scott but she couldn t keep up with him. So we
decided to accept the offer of a German shorthaired Pointer puppy. We told Scott
that we were just going to look at the pups. Scott immediately fell in love with the
only male left. “Scott we have a dog so if we bring another one home who will take
care of it?” His reply was as energetic as the wagging of the puppy s tail. “I ll take
care of him Dad please can I take him home?” Scott held the pup in his lap on the
way home and rattled off a list of names he wanted to call his dog. Spiderman,
Captain America Ironman were all put forward. Scott was a big comicbook fan as
was his father. I could not picture myself calling “here Spiderman” into the night.
“How about Thor?” I asked. “Thor yah that s what I ll call him.
Thor grew quickly and no time at all he was taller than my son and
weighted in at 85lbs. I still remember the day a branch fell into my front yard.
This limb was 12 feet long and 3 inches thick at one end.
Thor picked it up and ran around and around my son enticing him to try
and catch the stick. It was so comical watching the dog run with only a
foot of the limb sticking out of one side of his mouth and the remaining
10 or 11 feet out the other. Scott wasn t fast enough to catch him and grew tired of
always missing. He sat down on the grass and sulked. Thor brought the branch to
Scott and dropped it in his lap. The two of them were off and running again. Thor
decided that Scott s bed was where he was to sleep. It was ok at first but as Scott
grew he would wind up sleeping on 1/3 of the bed.
My son s school had a day when the students could bring in their pets. Scott asked if
he could take in Thor. 85lbs of pointer on the school bus gave me a bad feeling so I
said no. My decision lasted almost a full day. I agreed to bring Thor to school on the
appointed day. My fear of Thor hurting one of the students was foolish. The kids
looked in his ears and pulled back his jowls to see his teeth they stepped on his feet
in the crowding to get close. Thor s reaction was to wash any face that got in range of
his tongue. He even won over the little girl who was afraid of big dogs. She cried and
he walked over to her laid down and rolled onto his back. The sight of a monster dog
rolling and whining at her feet brought giggles to the once terrified girl. Giggles
were the sign Thor was waiting for he sat up and got a hug.
One evening I was watching the news and my son was playing on the floor in front of
me. He would do something and say “look daddy”. I would mumble “Oh that s nice
Scott.” The lead story was about some creep that had broken into a home and was
carrying out a sleeping child. The child woke up and screamed the creep dropped it
and fled. I never even realized that Scott was paying attention. In the middle of the
night I heard my son crying. I sat down with him and asked what was wrong? “What if
somebody steals me?” I knew what was upsetting him. When Scott sleeps nothing will
wake him up.” Scott who sleeps with you?” He looked over at the dog and said “Thor”
“And what would Thor do if somebody tried to steal you?” He thought for a moment
then a little smile appeared on his face “eat them”. “Ok what are you afraid of?”
“Nothing.” He put his arms around the dog s neck and laid his head on Thor s back.
The next morning I went downstairs and opened the back door to let the dog out. No
dog! I called his name and waited still no dog. I went back upstairs and looked in
Scott s room. Scott was still sleeping with his arms around the dog s neck. I called
Thor s name. He picked up his head and wagged his tail and then he put his head
down. I guess he felt Scott needed him more than he needed a potty break.
Thor died only a few years later. The vet said someone poisoned him. He hung on for
a week and died as I was taking him to the Vet school at Ohio St. The strange part of
this story is yet to come. In 1987 I had a very serious car wreck. I broke five ribs and
my pelvis lacerated my lung and ruptured my spleen. The two doctors on my case
told my wife that I would not make it through the night. I remember hurting. Every
time the ventilator inflated my lungs the pain was awful. I didn t want to hurt
anymore. It was then that Thor came into the I.C.U. He sat down and we talked.
Talked me with a tube in my tracheae. I said I missed him and wanted to go with him.
He told me that Scott needed me and it wasn t my time. I then said “you know you re
dead don t you?” “Yes but do you think that I would let that stop me from coming to
you if you need me” He said he would be waiting for me when my time comes with
all my other friends and that we would be together then. He left and I slept. I got well
and have adopted six more dogs in the years since then three of which have also
passed on. I was at the dog pound today and if the owner of the beagle doesn t claim
her by Monday she is mine.
What a reunion we ll have at the Rainbow Bridge.
| Thor |