Page last updated on Saturday, March 31, 2007.
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It's been nearly two years since Boots joined our family and we can't imagine life without him. He is the perfect foil for Rufus, our 12-year-old, "cranky old man" cocker.
But our life together has not always been easy. In the beginning, communication was difficult at best. Deaf and nearly blind, Boots could not understand us. And because Boots does not bark, we could not understand him. For several months frustration reigned supreme. Boots would sit on the floor and stamp his front paws trying to make a point.
We, in turn, would offer a variety of choices to him (food, outside, treat, etc.) trying to zero in on what he was trying to tell us. Often the only thing we could do was wrap our arms around Boots and hope that he knew we loved him and were trying our best. We don't know when or how it happened. We just know that one day we realized that we were communicating effortlessly. And that Boots had changed.
No longer was he the shy little dog we had brought home from Virginia. Instead, he was a confident little man, at last comfortable with the world and his place in it.
Boots is now ten and people often ask if we think we made a mistake by adopting an old, "used" dog. There is only one answer. Absolutely not!
While we realize that our time with Boots is more limited than if we had adopted a puppy, we know that if we had adopted any other dog, we would have never known this remarkable little dog.
When Boots is gone, the depths of our grief will be unfathomable. But our memories of the sweet little dog with the persistent smile and constantly wagging tail will give us comfort.
To someone, in a life far removed from the one he lives now, Boots was no more than something to be thrown out once he became old and worn out. To us, Boots is a gift that brings more happiness into our lives than we ever imagined possible.
Joanne, Kris, Rufus and Sherman Boots Pittsburgh, PA