Pee Wee was a big part of my life for eleven years and he really became my child. He brought much joy to many people that knew him. He was shy and cautious around strangers and he would hide behind my legs until he felt safe around them. He totally trusted me and I him. In the last several years I was even able to walk him without a leash and he always obeyed my commands to stop when a car came near.
The neighbors enjoyed the way he pranced instead of a more normal gait and I often received compliments that he was a handsome and well behaved dog. Pee Wee also entertained by howling (singing) on command and that never got old to me or my friends. His tail was constantly in motion while singing. Of course, he slept on my bed, not for the first few years of his life but most of the last 8. He was always welcome to get under the blanket which is what he preferred for he would quickly fall asleep beside me with his head on a share of a pillow. Weekend mornings were particularly special because I could sleep in and it became a game of sorts when after we were both awake I would lie face to face with him and talk about his favorite things to do. With his eyes fixated on me, not a muscle on his body would move except to see and hear his happy tail flopping against the mattress underneath the covers. As most dogs, he loved being petted, massaged, belly rubbed, receiving treats, etc. and he got all of that every day. He also gave the best sloppy kisses or sometimes just the right little lick on the nose.
But he never learned to chase and fetch a ball. In his first two years of life he lived in the same house as his mother and she was very dominant. She would not let him fetch a ball and so what he learned to do was to chase her while she was fetching a ball, the whole time usually biting at her ears. When I moved him away from her and he met other dogs, for the rest of his life he did the same thing; he chased the dog that was fetching a ball.
Our bond started from day one of his life and it became a bond of saving and sharing. Pee Wee was born in the house I was sharing with his mother’s owner. He was the runt of his litter and after several days of life he was not doing well. I came home from work to find him kicked out of the litter, off in a corner by himself. I could not accept Mother Nature’s course so I immediately placed him beside his mother to suckle. When it was time for a late night meal I made sure he got his chance among the stronger siblings. The next evening I found him kicked out again but I wouldn’t give up. However, this time it was the weekend and after two days of regular and extra feedings he got strong enough to push his way into the pile and he survived. Weeks later, when it was time to sell the puppies I was attached to him for sure but not totally convinced that I wanted to take on the responsibility of having a pet. I decided to let him go and went home to Pennsylvania for Christmas. However, when I got back to Columbus he was still in the house, the woman who picked him out as a gift never showed up. She called several days later but then I changed my mind and it was the best decision I ever made, mostly because it wasn’t a decision but more like he just showed up in my life.
In the ensuing years Pee Wee became totally devoted to me, even when I was less than attentive. He always found a way to show he loved me when I needed him most and he was sometimes the only constant creature in my life through difficult days, weeks and months of losing jobs, family and friends. He became bold enough one night of doom and gloom after my father died when he pushed his way past a partially opened door, something that I never had success coaxing him to do. I looked at him through my painful tears and realized that he was trying to help me. I saved him, he saved me.
Finally, Pee Wee knew that he needed me too and on those days when he was not feeling well he would come to me and put his paws on my lap as a sign that he wanted to be held. I’ll never forget, years ago, the first time he did that. I could tell he wasn’t feeling well and several times in the course of that evening he came to me and would not leave my side. That was the first time he put his paws on my lap and I finally figured out that he wanted me to hold him. I placed him against my upper body with his head under my chin, wrapped my arms around him and laid back in my recliner and within minutes he was fast asleep. And so, on his last afternoon at home before that awful two nights at the vet hospital, he wanted to be held again. I had always envisioned that if I had the chance when his time came, that is also how he would live his final moments, and he did. Pee Wee could not be saved from complications of a severely deteriorated heart valve and I had to make that gut wrenching decision to put him to sleep. I held Pee Wee for fifteen minutes and talked to him about all of our favorite things to do and I thanked him for loving me. Then with the vets loving touch, she helped me through the final moments. I was holding him as he passed.
I miss him terribly and an overwhelming sadness pounds in my heart for my hot dog eating, snuggling, kissing, happy tail wagging, going-for-a-ride loving, devoted, trusting, Penn State jersey wearing, singing Pee Wee.
Gary Blankenhorn
Columbus, Ohio
I held you before you had a name. You were weak and your survival was my aim.
What started then was unknown to me,
But now I know this was meant to be:
Napping and nuzzling, walking and running,
Happy tail thumping, with your eyes on me.
Playing and chasing, your share of mischief making,
Hiding in Steve’s closet again, your floppy ears in the wind.
Pee Wee, Oh Pee Wee, thanks for loving me.
You pushed your way past that door and found me crying on the floor.
I quickly learned what I didn’t know then, you were my devoted friend whose:
Singing and prancing with friends and neighbors glancing,
At handsome spots and you being shy, getting hot dogs on the sly,
Trusting and kissing, sometimes indoor pissing,
Hogging up the middle of the bed, wearing Penn State colors, what a friend!
Pee Wee, Oh Pee Wee, thanks for loving me.
I saved you, you saved me. That was how this was meant to be.
What goes around comes around; you’re the best friend I ever found.
A miracle like you can’t happen twice,
Thanks for sharing with me your only life, like:
Puppy cups at Dairy Queen,
With your siblings, what a scene,
Well behaved, jumpy but mostly calm,
Once so small you fit my palm.
Going for a ride again,
Dying in my arms, my friend.
Pee Wee, Oh Pee Wee, thanks for loving me.
Pee Wee, Oh Pee Wee, thanks for loving me.
With Love,
| Pee Wee Blankenhorn |
| Gary Blankenhorn |