Ruger's Gift

A beautiful post by one of our Board members about some of the ways pets make a difference in our lives...

I did not want my 19 year old son to get a dog. He had recently bought a monster off-road vehicle which turned out to be a brakeless nightmare and by the grace of God did not hurt himself or anyone else. I was concerned about his choices. When I met the object of his affection, a young dog of dubious parentage, a lot of which was hound dog, I saw a pound puppy with loose joints and floppy ears in the arms of a young man who loved him already. And that was the dawn of my son’s coming of age, the beginning of the end to his adolescent self-centeredness and his first steps into taking care of something other than himself. The something he named Ruger.

He had been a partier and remained so but now he had something to feed, water, and be mindful of. Something he cared about depended on him and he rose to the occasion. He got up when he didn’t want to. He kept him safe. He paid attention to the clues our companion pets give us when they need or want something. He came out of his self-absorption and began the road to adulthood. Granted it wasn’t a straight shot but Ruger, that wonderful, mellow, and loveable hound dog, was the reason for the change.

My son, who had dabbled in school, got into it. He realized he loved Political Science and went from academic probation to the Dean’s list in two semesters. He was passionate about something at last and I think that Ruger helped him recognize that passion simply by being in his life. He learned that he had to plan, to think ahead. You can’t just take off for the weekend if there is an animal depending on you. If a paper needs to be written, if expectations have to be met, then you get it done and do it well.

The maturing extended into his personal relationships and he met his future wife. A woman with two cats, cats who Ruger accepted as he had the other dog in the household, Kaya. After my son married they returned from their honeymoon and noticed a change in Ruger as well as a large lump on his neck. Lymphoma. A new marriage and the first sadness they had to face together was the death of a dog they both loved. In the end, Ruger was still a great teacher.