#plus Eddie and cats share the same energy

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Are we… are we gonna be getting cat dad buck (as he can’t have a dog in the apartment)???

Is this why it’s a cute reaction to Eddie leaving him and his abandonment issues???

[stevesbipanic]

For the lovely @withacapitalp happy birthday Liam hope you have the best day today!!!!

Steve had been pacing around the apartment all morning. Well, pacing wasn't really the right word, Eddie would describe it more like having the same zoomies their cat Toothpaste has at 3am.

You see today was–"It's Robin Day, Eds!" As his lovely boyfriend had practically screamed in his ear at 5am. "And it will still be Robin day when you return from your job at a normal waking hour, babe."

Eddie had hoped the jog would've gotten some of the energy out of Steve's system but he seemed more hyper on his return, at least he'd brought Eddie coffee.

"Love, Robin isn't even on the plane yet."

"I know, but it's today, Eds."

Steve looked so bright it made all of Eddie's sleepiness fade away. It had been hard, living away from Robin. They'd all shared an apartment when she went away for college but by the time she got a job in New York, Steve and Eddie were not only dating finally but settled into Chicago life.

They spoke every day of course, Robin and Steve never missed a nightly catch up of the day's events, Eddie didn't even know what they'd talk about once they were in the same state again. Eddie knew Robin would always be Steve's number one and he loved that about him.

There was one other thing about today though. "Sweetheart, you know it's not just Robin Day, right?"

Steve looked confused at his boyfriend, kind of like the way a puppy looks when you move his toy.

"What could be more important about today than that."

Eddie began humming a specific tune wrapping his arms around Steve's waist. "Oh, right, my birthday, 24 isn't exactly a big deal Eds," Steve said rolling his eyes.

Eddie laughed, "Your birthday is the reason Robin's coming, sunshine, plus after the number of times we've both almost died I think every birthday is a big deal."

Steve nodded his head and returned the embrace Eddie had been giving him, "True, you think you're gonna have a quarter life crisis in August, Mr 25?"

Eddie grinned, "Oh yeah, I think imma buy a guitar and start a band." Steve laughed, while Corroded Coffin never got famous they got relatively well known in the local scene, Tuesdays were now a regular gig at The Squire downtown.

"Four hours til she lands," Steve said kissing Eddie's cheek and running upstairs to make sure the guest room was ready for the tenth time. "Still not on the plane yet!" Eddie called up laughing.

Four and a half hours later their loving room was filled with laughter and joy once more. "And then the guy asked the flight attendant for another ginger ale and Steve this man was looking green and you know how I don't deal with sick people well I'm surprised I survived the flight at all," Robin rambled filling Steve in on her flight from hell.

"Honestly, you should just move back here, save yourself the flight," Steve joked. Robin glanced at Eddie, one little birthday surprise they hadn't told Steve yet.

"Actually, my contract is ending in two weeks, and um, they offered to extend it at...their Chicago office."

Steve was frozen, if Eddie didn't know better he'd think Vecna had returned from the dead to finish them off after all these years. Then the screaming started.

"YOU'RE MOVING BACK TO CHICAGO!"

"I'M MOVING BACK TO CHICAGO!"

Pretty soon everyday would be Robin Day and with his boy looking that happy Eddie wouldn't want it any other way.

[briarberrythornedhart]

Gone Fishin’

18 plus or DNI

Contains: Sitcom energy, RoNance, Eventual implied Steddie x reader, Matchmaker!Eddie, Eddie & Robin Friendship, Eddie and Mike brother/bully dynamic, discussion of period typical homophobia in late 1980’s, no homophobic acts tho, spicy discussion but no actual smut

“Why are you smiling like that?” Robin asked.

Eddie adjusted his Family Video name tag and boosted himself up to sit on the counter next to the register. He leaned toward Robin, pointing at his face. “Smiling like what? Like this?? This here?”

Robin batted some of his long wavy hair out of her face.

Still grinning like a Cheshire Cat on edibles, He laid right down on his back. A long leg dangling on each side of the counter - sprawled out on top of Robin's order paperwork that was due this morning. He sighed and stretched in apparent satisfaction.

“Eddie, c’mon, less of your disruptive shenanigans would be appreciated today.”

Eddie huffed a laugh and rolled himself back up in order to push off the counter with a little hop.

Robin continued to berate him. “You have been smiling all crazy-like since you showed up. And you're everywhere while also simultaneously Not Actually Doing any Work??? I don’t want to complain about your mood because you’ve been a morose and moribund guy of late so this is a positive change, but today…What specifically gives? ‘Cause you are being a complete menace.”

“Someone is... maybe coming to visit the store today. To bring me lunch. Someone who said when I smile it makes her want to sit on my face.* So I thought I should be ready with generous smiles.” Eddie propped an elbow on the counter and leaned his cheek on his hand, smirking at the world.

“Oh my gawd, why would you tell me that?!?” Robin rubbed her eyes with her palms.

“I thought we were close friends now? Friends share things.” Eddie sounded hurt. But his big brown eyes were still shining.

“Tell Steve the details, you guys can bond over your slutty sex lives…”

“Excuse moi, but I am a one-man woman. That’s not slutty.”

“It’s slutty that you keep bragging out loud about it in public.”

“C’mon Rob, let me have this, it’s been a year since anyone even looked my way. And this gal does way more than look.” Eddie clocked that Robin had one eyebrow very raised in ‘closeted lesbian annoyance. “You know what, let’s find you a nice girl…”

“Will you shut your big-damn-mouth, someone might hear!!”

“No one is in the store, Rob. Look around. And anyway - they should grow up. It’s almost the 90’s for Crissake. Love is love and Lesbians are cool. It’s like Harrington says ‘Everyone loves...”

Robin clapped a hand over Eddie’s yap. “Everyone does not love the b-word that rhymes with tubes. This is a family establishment, Eds. It’s in the name above the door.”

Eddie nodded slowly. She let him go but he immediately popped off with, ”Sure - Everyone doesn’t like the same things, but the selection in the back room suggests common themes. And for the record, I was gonna say the t-word that rhymes with ‘kits’, not ‘boobies’.”

Robin let out a half-laugh half-groan. “That’s not better... ugh....You are impossible.”

“I know, I really am.” Eddie was positively glowing. “So, what we need to do is widen the net for you.”

“Whut??” Robin searched for her pen, she’d had it a moment before!!

Eddie pulled it gently from behind her ear and handed it to her unceremoniously.

“This town is too small to meet Out lesbian chicks or bisexually-leaning chicks, so we need to get you to Indy. Rick says there is a lesbian bar there. We can go this weekend. Keith’s on schedule for Sunday, so...”

“I’m not going to a...” Robin dropped her voice to a whisper, although it didn’t appear that there were any customers in the store. “Lesbian bar with you.”

Eddie gasped in actual hurt surprise. “Why the hell not?”

“Because... I dunno... it’s a Bad Idea tm.”

“Look, if you don’t want to go with me, that’s fine, I’m very hurt, but that’s fine - I know the perfect wingman for you.... Or wingwoman, to be more accurate.”

“Eds. Please. Pleeeease. I need to finish this paperwork and I need you to clean the restroom, can we just focus on work right now??”

“You think this job is more important than love??” Eddie gave her serious side-eye. He hopped over the counter instead of walking to the gate for the register area. He picked up the store phone.

“You, yourself, swore love was naught but bullshit, just last week.” Robin pointed out.

“Wellll...I was full of shit. And I hadn’t found love yet.” Eddie typed something into the computer and then began dialing the phone. “Hey Mikey, Is your sister around? Yes. Nancy, why would I want to talk with your baby-sister??? No. NO. Don’t put her on… Hi.... hi there Holly, how are you? Yeah, I’m fine too. Can you please get your Sister for me? Thank you.” Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Nancy isn’t gonna want to go...” Robin hissed.

“Hiya Wheeler, can you punch your brother for me? Thanks. No, that’s not why I called...... Okay, soooo... Can you take Robin to Indy this weekend to a bar to meet nice girls?” Eddie tapped out a drum solo on the top of the register. ”Yes? Yeah, I know a specific bar.....Yes? you will? Great. Thank you. Yeah, I know. She does..... You’re a peach, you know that?”

Eddie hung up the phone and smiled again - all benevolence, and bowed. “Thou art welcome.”

“Do I get even A LITTLE choice about this?” Robin asked, head in her hands. “I mean it is MY Life, and stuff, but do I get any say??”

“No, you don’t. It’s for your own good.” Eddie said in a tone that brooked no argument.

*For the record, this is not specifically what you said. You said something more romantic about kissing him all over and he heard what he wanted to hear. He does that. It’s cute, though.

----

1 week later, back at Family Video

----

“I blame you.” Steve poked Eddie dead center of his chest. “This is all because of your meddling.”

“I know you feel some kinda way about your ex and your best friend dating, but you need to put on your big boy pants about it, Harrington. It was meant to be.”

“No, it’s fine, that is fine, I mean, Robin put in her 2 weeks and they are going to France together and talking about getting an apartment near Emerson college.... and a dog when they get back. Already. Last month Nance said she wasn’t ready to settle down and now this?? And Robin doesn’t have time for me at all anymore....”

“I have time for you.” Eddie batted his eyelashes at Steve.

“Don’t. Seriously, dude. You are busy all the time, too, with your perfect girlfriend and I’m once again begging you not to give me the specific details about your sex life, okay?”

“Okay... jeesus. I’ve not been that specific.”

“No you haven’t, it’s just that you are very happy and it’s obnoxious.” Steve was teasing a little. Eddie could hear the bitterness underneath. “She knows you flirt with everyone right? She’s cool with that?”

Eddie cleared his throat. “She knows I flirt with you and she’s cool with specifically that.”

“I guess that’s flattering? maybe??”

“You guys get along, though, right? I mean, she thinks you are great.” Eddie asked.

“Yes, she’s very... great, too, and I’m happy for you. Just please don’t tell me I need to widen the net, I know the sea is full of nice fish - I am sick and tired of meeting chicks from far far away and trying to make long distance work.”

Eddie took a deep breath, rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. “Actually, I was thinking maybe you ought to look closer at your options here. Locally.”

“How locally? I think I may have overfished this particular pond.”

“Very very local.” Eddie licked his upper lip and nudged Steve in the upper arm. “Maybe just expand your horizons a bit. Here??”

“And you’ll set me up on some blind date and it will be a nightmare...”

“Not a blind date... just something you might need to be more open-minded about.”

“If I get any more open-minded, my brain will fall out. Do you mean dudes? Cause I think I might be open to that, I just don’t want any more one night stands, you know??”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, I guess, yeah.”

“Then let’s go out. Tonight.”

“What about your girl...”

“With my girl. Potentially, our girl?”

“Oh? Oh!”

—-

[footyplusau]

Saints skipper thrives on new challenge

SOME of the big-ticket items when you knock around the streets of Caulfield include the fate of Frank Penhalluriack’s iconic and historic hardware store and the chronic shortage of playing fields for the area’s burgeoning number of sporting clubs. And a new café seems to open up every second week.

But as Jarryn Geary has discovered, Caulfield and its immediate surrounds are also heavily invested the fortunes of the St Kilda Football Club, wedged as it is half-way between its first home at the Junction Oval and its spiritual home at Moorabbin.

The newly-installed captain of the Saints moved into the area about a year ago and now understands there are St Kilda fans to meet, whether he’s grabbing a coffee, a litre of milk or walking the dog.

“There’s a lot more people saying hello,” he told the AFL Record with a laugh ahead of this week’s clash with the Sydney Swans, his 150th game.

“I have a lot more friends now.”

What the Saints fans know and what the rest of the AFL is cottoning on to quickly is that Geary was a good choice to be the new captain of St Kilda.

The shoes left by Nick Riewoldt, who skippered the Saints for 11 years, would seem impossibly large to fill, but the 28-year-old is carving his own niche and quickly.

Acts like his crunching tackle on the hulking Jonathon Patton a fortnight ago made the rest of the competition sit up and take notice.

The Greater Western Sydney forward was charging forward, with teammates waiting ahead of the ball to run into an open goal, when Geary brought him to ground and forced a ball-up.

It was a statement move on the big stage – St Kilda’s first Friday night game for more than two years – and it helped pave the way for a statement 23-point win that underlined that, after a few years in the wilderness, the Saints might be back.

“I had to influence the contest,” he said. “I knew I had to stick the tackle.”

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson wasn’t surprised one bit.

“He does that often. That got highlighted because we were able to consolidate a victory against a really good opponent on a Friday night. But it doesn’t matter how big they are, he’s a ferocious, aggressive player. He doesn’t blink; he goes.”

Geary has been thereabouts at the Saints for a while. He came through the ranks in Bendigo with great mate, now Geelong star Joel Selwood.

One of those ‘I really know I’m now the captain’ moments came when he got to spend time with Selwood in an environment the Cats skipper is most comfortable – the pre-season AFL captains’ day at Etihad Stadium.

“It was great to share it with someone I grew up with,” Geary said.

But whereas Selwood was the No. 7 selection in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft and an instant star, Geary was the 58th selection at the Rookie Draft 12 months later.

He played 10 games in an improving St Kilda side under Ross Lyon in 2008 and 19 in 2009, but was overlooked for the Grand Final that year as Lyon opted for as much experience as he could muster.

He played 15 games the following year, but again missed out on the dual Grand Final experience.

But rather than be chastened by the memories of again spectating at a St Kilda Grand Final, Geary cites it as one of the best periods of his career.

“The Grand Finals weren’t to be. I obviously played a lot of footy both those years, but they were still good experiences to be part of.”

It is that sort of comment that teammate Leigh Montagna believes endears Geary to everyone at St Kilda.

“It speaks to his selfless character doesn’t it? He puts the team and the club ahead of his own desires and what he wants to achieve, and that’s why he’s a great player around the footy club,” Montagna said.

Geary bridges two eras at St Kilda and one of the reasons he emerged as the obvious replacement for Riewoldt as skipper was his ability to mix equally with all the young players brought to the club over the past five years and what’s left of the old guard.

Only he, David Armitage and Sam Gilbert straddle that generational gap.

“The good thing about ‘Gears’ is that he gets on well with the younger players and having some fun with them, but he also has the ability to get on with the older players and the staff around the club,” Montagna said.

“He’s probably one of the characters around the club with pranks and being silly, but when it’s time to work he knuckles down and gets things done.

“And what he produces on the ground is exactly what you want from a leader. It’s a nice blend and a nice balance. He leads through his deeds.”

“At some stage I can be a bit immature and other times more mature. It keeps things interesting,” Geary said, adding that some of his renowned pranking has been delegated to Jimmy Webster.

But once the games start, Geary takes his cue from Riewoldt – like pretty much everyone at St Kilda – but also the likes of recently retired fellow defender Sean Dempster. Statistics don’t matter as much as one percenters and team-oriented acts.

“Being a team player and sacrificing my own game for others is what I hold in high regard,” he said.

Richardson loves much of what Geary brings to St Kilda’s back half.

He can play lockdown football and one of the few highlights of an otherwise awful 88-point drubbing from Adelaide last year was keeping Eddie Betts to just one goal. Other times he fits into the overall mix.

He came second in last year’s best and fairest and has finished in the top 10 on four occasions.

“He’s just so consistent. There’s not a big gap between his best performance and his lesser performances,” Richardson said.

“He rarely gets beaten in contests, he’s got this terrific ability to be able to know when to stay or when to leave and run to a contest either in the air or on the deck.

“He’s very clean, able to control the footy and he provides our team with enormous energy and run.”

If anything, Geary’s future might be as more of a negater.

A feature of St Kilda’s fast-improving backline is the ball use and rebounding of the likes of Dylan Roberton and Webster, leaving Geary to win the ball and get it to them so they can attack the game with their run and ball use.

Montagna isn’t quite so sure just yet. He believes Geary is more than handy with ball in hand.

“When he’s playing his best footy, he’s able to intercept well, run and dash off half-back and be third man in a contest,” he said.

“With his spoiling and tackling pressure, he is everything you want from a defender.”

And from a captain.

Geary had to jump through a few hoops before being named as Riewoldt’s successor.

Discussions with possible replacements started even as far back as two years ago and the players nominated him for the job once Riewoldt formally stood down.

The final step was Richardson’s sign-off, which was soon forthcoming, and with genuine excitement.

“He’s the complete package with his ability to play the game the way we want him to play, to be able to train and prepare and set a great example of what we want at the Saints,” Richardson said.

“And he has a really good balance with how he communicates with his teammates, whether they are younger or older.

“He can strike that great balance of being direct and challenging if need be, but also showing empathy and care at the right time.”

Added Montagna: “The key thing that was explained to him was that he didn’t need to be Nick Riewoldt. He just had to be himself and lead in the way that’s just an extension of how he’s been the last few years.”

Like all new captains, Geary has had to learn to strike the balance between leading the team and readying himself to play the best he can.

It took him a couple of weeks to work through that, but his preparation as a player and leader is now where he wants it.

The key, he said, is to communicate and reinforce the key messages of the week.

And he got plenty of practice ahead of the Hawthorn game in round five, which came as the team was teetering at 2-3, having blown three comfortable leads in the process.

It was an edgy week at the Linen House Centre, but the Saints came out and walloped the Hawks by 75 points, putting their third quarter struggles and road woes to bed at the same time.

“The reason why I was put into this role was partly because of the way I am when I wasn’t the captain, so to get away from that would have taken something away from my own game,” he said.

Addressing the team in the moments before the game is still taking some getting used to, but this captaincy caper is starting to take shape for Geary just as the season is for the Saints.

His leadership was tested over the past week in the fallout from last Saturday’s game against Carlton.

Geary acknowledged some of his teammates “overstepped the mark” and he personally apologised to Marc Murphy for comments directed at the Blues skipper and his family during the game.

It was a situation a bit like having Patton hurtling forward at a million miles an hour. Firm leadership was required. Someone at St Kilda needed to be the adult in the room so the formerly self-described “pest” didn’t blink; he picked up the phone.

“That comes with being more comfortable in the position,” he said.

The post Saints skipper thrives on new challenge appeared first on Footy Plus.

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[howellrichard]

Our Miracle Boy (a Tribute to Buddy)

Hi Dear Friends,

I’ve loved animals from the time I was little. In fact, I had more animal friends than kid friends. They just understood me better and I, them. Much to my Mom’s dismay, I was always rescuing someone. Frogs, cats, inch worms—everyone was welcome in my home. I even made little outfits for them by cutting holes in my baby clothes—another thing she wasn’t too keen on.

My beloved pets helped me through college, heart-breaks, job changes and moves. For me, life just isn’t the same without furry friends. Cut to today. We live on 17 stunning acres in beautiful Woodstock, NY—my sanctuary. When we moved here, I dreamed of rescuing lots of animals. I also dreamed of expanding our human family—but that wasn’t in the cards for us.

Living with a rare, slow-growing stage IV cancer, with no cure or proven treatment options, has had some consequences. But, the hardest one has been having to potentially choose between my life and having children.

My oncologist described it like this: “Picture your disease like a rock balancing on top of a mountain. Right now, that rock is stable, not causing you any harm. If something (like pregnancy) were to change that, your rock may start tumbling down the mountain. If that happens, there’s a chance we can catch it. We just don’t know if we can put it back on top of the mountain—where you’re safe. There are just too many unknowns, so think hard before you potentially wake the sleeping giant inside you.”

Now, I’m a risk taker but this was too big of a risk for me. And sure, there was adoption, but it’s a lot harder for a stage IV cancer patient like me to qualify as a candidate. Plus to be honest, we just weren’t up for the journey at the time.

So, my rock-solid husband and I made the tough decision not to have children. We vowed to live big, fully and out loud to squeeze the most out of the life we did have. Though our decision was right for us and even healing, it was also the only time I’ve ever felt broken. Fuck you, cancer.

Now, as I was processing all this soul-growing stuff, I decided it was the perfect time for a second dog! I was a mama to our gal, Lola, and my aching heart wanted more unconditional love and sloppy kisses. So, I started to petition my man. Though he shares my love for animals, he didn’t exactly have more fur-babies on the brain. In his mind, I traveled too much for work and life was too complicated—bad timing. “It’s not a no, it’s just not a yes right now,” he said.

Miracles come in all shapes & sizes—including big, furry hound #dogs. Our job is to notice & thank them: http://bit.ly/2nXbfcV @Kris_Carr

But, I grew up with parents who used that kind of mumbo jumbo on me, and I do not give up easily. So, my petition turned into an all-out marketing campaign for our next pooch. A week didn’t go by where I wouldn’t pitch my “top 3 reasons why our new dog would transform our lives”. Complete with infographics, pie charts and analytics.

Finally, he relented. Praise God! It felt like Christmas, my birthday and the time the Easter Bunny gave me a training bra in my basket—monumental. We celebrated our glorious decision (AKA my hard-fought win) by going on a long hike on our favorite mountain trail. Naturally, I couldn’t contain my joy, and I expressed it with each strenuous step.

Then, the miracle happened.

We rounded a corner and there he was. Our miracle boy. Our Buddy dog. He was emaciated, matted and covered in filth—we fell in love instantly. Through the kindness of strangers, a group of people helped us slowly get Buddy down the mountain. Someone offered a blanket and a nice man gave him part of his sandwich for strength. Brian took off his belt and made a collar and leash and, when that wasn’t enough, he carried him. From that moment forward, it was a collective #gobuddygo rescue effort.

As we quickly learned, Buddy was in bad shape, days away from dying. The vet informed us that he was about 50 pounds underweight and very lucky to be alive. Due to certain clues, we think he either ran away from an abusive situation or was dumped. I scoured the local papers, Facebook posts and lost pet registries, but no one was looking for him. We even went town to town looking for posters and fliers—nothing. (Thank God! We didn’t want to give him back to anyone.)

As we were trying to understand what happened, we learned that Buddy’s breed is often used for hunting and our gentle fella probably wasn’t very skilled. Sadly, it isn’t uncommon for hunters to abandon animals that don’t perform. This isn’t always the case, there are many hunters who love and care for their dogs. It’s just more of an issue with Buddy’s breed than we knew, so we couldn’t rule that out. Especially because he hated guns, thunder and raised voices. Think more Turner Classics and less NRA.

For months, we poured our hearts into helping our new boy heal. I often joked that his angels instructed him to be at that location on that very day. To look for a yammering blonde and her patient hubby. “She will know what to do. He will do whatever it takes.”

We researched the best diet, supplements and holistic remedies. We even brought in an acupuncturist (until Buddy signaled that needles weren’t his thing by trying to bite the nice man who was thankfully very understanding!).

When the weight wasn’t coming on fast enough for his recovery, we added softball-sized servings of raw ground beef to the mix. Twice weekly, this vegan would head to the butcher in a baseball hat and sunglasses. I even ran into Elizabeth Lesser there once. “Of all the places to bump into you!”. Yeah, tell me about it.

Over time, Buddy went from looking downtrodden to totally radiant. It was amazing to watch his spark come back. His matted coat became shiny and his body functions normalized. But as he was healing, his energy was introverted and cocoon-like. He didn’t like to be touched too much or handled in an unconscious way.

Once, I plopped down on the sofa he was sitting on and unintentionally startled him awake. Well, he snapped at the air like a Great White Shark leaping for a seal. Buddy’s message was clear: “Be mindful around me, especially when I’m in a vulnerable state.”

I can only imagine how scared and alone he felt while starving in the woods. Were there predators? What about all the rain and thunder? Did he think he was going to die? It was traumatic so, naturally, any sudden movement when his defenses were down wasn’t gonna fly. “Got it. Sorry, Buds.”

After a long (mindful!) winter, Buddy totally recovered, and then blossomed. His personality slowly emerged and we were delighted to meet the real, funny him. A gentle, goofy giant, who went from being frightened of touch, to moaning for ear noogies and full-body hugs.

When he wasn’t holding court and welcoming visitors as the mayor of the porch, he was on patrol, checking the perimeter. Thankfully, six of our acres are fenced and dog-friendly. It was my guess that his nightly missions made us safer (or so he believed).

And boy, could our fella move! We called him a shape-shifter. One minute, we were on one side or our football field-sized lawn, the other minute he was on the opposite—until you said the word “cookie”. Then, the woods would shake as he suddenly appeared, galloping full-speed toward his treat.

Buddy fell in love with everyone, especially butterflies and small dogs and gentle winds that brought worlds of information to his gigantic schnoz. He even loved his little sister, though it took her a while to return the feelings. I swear that boy taught me more about kindness and resilience than some of the greatest teachers on this planet.

Especially after what came next.

For a while, we thought his gait was weird due to an accident or perhaps an issue from birth. His left leg made these goofy little half-moon circles when he walked, and he often stood like a ballerina (with his back legs in second position). Odd. Hmmm… Though we didn’t think too much of it, we thought we should get it checked out. So, we took him to a specialist, and that’s when we learned that Buddy had Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a disease that’s similar to ALS in people.

Like ALS, there’s no cure and the end isn’t easy. Paralysis would work its way through Buddy’s body until he couldn’t move or breathe and there was nothing we could do about it. Maybe he has 6 months to live, at best. Fuck you, DM!

Then, I really knew why he chose us as parents. His angels said, “That one. See her? She’s your new mom and she has a chronic disease, too. She and your new dad will know what to do and they’ll give you the best, longest life possible.”

And, that’s exactly what we did.

As Buddy’s disease progressed, he started to lose his ability to fully use his back legs. So, we bought a harness and held him up as he walked. At first, he only needed us to stabilize him but, over time, his backend got heavier and heavier. When we could no longer be his legs for him, we had Buddy fitted for a wheelie cart—which he loved and zoomed around in—often flipping it while chasing squirrels or his little sister.

When his front legs started to go, we got him a super-Cadillac cart that supported both his front and rear (Thank you, Eddie’s Wheels!). Around this time, he stopped being able to relieve himself without assistance, so we learned how to express his bladder and his bowels. To say I’d be a good proctologist is an understatement.

We didn’t think it was gross (ok, sometimes we thought it was really gross!) and neither did he. Right before each bowel expression, I’d sing “someone’s knocking on the door, let me in, let me in”. He’d dance. I’d get a poop out. Sorry, I know this is really graphic, describing how I put my gloved finger in our dog’s ass to stimulate a bowel movement, but it’s the truth. And, you thought my life was glamorous!

As the months went on, caring for Buddy became a nearly full-time job. And to be honest, sometimes it was really frustrating, especially in the snow and rain. But, it taught us lessons in patience and the values of showing up every day. I stopped traveling for work, cut back on speaking engagements and socialized less (sorry we missed your wedding Kate and Mike, and sorry to so many other friends). But as many of you with pets who are like your children know, there’s no difference between our love for them and other family members. It’s unconditional.

So, we carried on. But, we also looked for signs from Buddy. Was this the life he wanted to live? The shitty thing about DM is that animals who have it are often still fully themselves, even as their bodies are dying. Even though he was bed-bound, he still took his job as mayor of the porch very seriously. He was still full of life and love and so much personality and possibility—a gentle ambassador for rescues and disabled animals—but his body was failing and his time with us was slowly coming to an end.

I talked to him about dying, and I asked him to signal us when he was ready. I also prayed to God to help us know when it was time. We didn’t want him to suffer or be unhappy. He deserved peace.

I also asked God to let me know if we were being selfish. Were we keeping him around because we couldn’t bear to lose him? Or, were we doing what was right and giving him the best life?

I talked to our vet and he said we were doing the right thing and praised our efforts and love. I even invited our dear friend, Kathy, over for her professional opinion. Kathy is the founder of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary and I knew she’d tell me the hard truth. This tough and wonderful broad has rescued thousands of animals and she’s also had to compassionately put some of them down when they were suffering. No one knows this journey better than Kathy.

“Girrrrrl, this fella still has a lot of life in him! Keep going, he’s not ready.” Oh, what a relief! More days… More months… More precious time with our precious miracle boy…

And then, one day, he was ready.

Though we had some damn good times in those last months, Buddy’s symptoms progressed and he started letting go. I watched as he retreated back to that internal cocoon-like state. Though he still loved our attention and cuddles, his spark was fading. It was time.

On the day Buddy died, I told him that he was about to meet my grandma, grandpa and favorite cat, Crystal. That he’d see Brian’s dad and my biological father, who both loved dogs. Plus, he’d be embraced by so many other angels, too, including my Aunt Maria, who jingled when she walked and was a fabulous Flamenco dancer.

I let Buddy know that I’d follow him one day, just not right now. And until we saw each other again, he should run in fields, play like a pup, smell flowers, eat way too many cookies and cuddle with the stars.

That afternoon we made a love fort in the middle of the living room. Our vet came over and so did Buddy’s best friend, Michelle (the therapist who lovingly got into a tank with him several times a week to give him the hydrotherapy treatments that extended his life).

We held Buddy in our arms and told him how much we loved him and, right before he passed, he popped his head up and looked straight into my eyes. In that profound moment, I felt his love, gratitude and presence.

Then, he peacefully left his body.

Buddy truly was a miracle, our miracle boy. He lived a year and a half longer than the doctors expected, a year and a half more of joy, life lessons and bringing beauty to the world.

We miss him deeply but feel so blessed for the time we had together. I think our bond grew especially strong because he was so dependent on us. But, what I hope he knew is that we were dependent on him, too. He helped me heal a grieving heart. He showed me a greater capacity for love. And, he reminded me that life is very precious and all beings deserve a chance to live it.

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. Little bundles of joy and big, furry hound dogs. Our job is to notice and thank them. The more we do, the more blessings we receive—they just may not always come in the exact form we intended. In the end, loving Buddy was some of the best loving I’ve ever experienced. Yet another blessing.

Thank you to everyone who cheered him on. Thank you for following our #gobuddygo posts on social media and for loving him from afar. Buddy warmed and brightened countless hearts around the world and I know many of you were deeply touched by him. Bless you.

If you’re ready to bring a pet into your life—go for it. And, send me pictures! I’d love to see your fur-children. But, please rescue. Adopt, don’t shop. And, don’t forget the old ones, the banged up ones, the misfits and the rebels—the ones who are often overlooked—they’re the angel babies who will love you the most.

We love you, sweet Buddy boy.

xo,

The post Our Miracle Boy (a Tribute to Buddy) appeared first on KrisCarr.com.