Jeremy

When I was a newlywed, my new mother-in-law had given to my husband and I a black miniature poodle pup as a wedding gift. We named him Jeremy and he became my constant companion in those first years of my marriage. Every morning after my husband would go to work, he would jump up on the bed with me until I arose a few hours later. He would always need help to get up on the very high bed and so I would pull him up by lifting his rear haunches. He would settle at the foot of the bed and we would both doze for a few hours.

One morning as I sleepily reached down to help him up, he began howling horribly. I could not get a firm hold on him and when I pried my eyes open to see what the problem was I was badly frightened to see that he no back half. The rear of his body was simply missing. He whimpered pitifully at me then dragged himself under the bed with his front paws. I was crying and was so upset that I couldn't move to look under the bed. Finally, I drew up the nerve to get out of bed and help him, although I was at a loss to know what I could do for him or how he had come to be injured so terribly.

As I lay on the floor peering under the bed, looking for him, I heard him barking outside. The inside kitchen door was open but the screen door was closed tight. I looked out the window of the door and there stood Jeremy, all in one piece. What a relief!!

My husband and I reasoned that after my husband had let him out that morning to do his thing, he had managed to push open the screen door and let himself out again. He was unable to get back in though. My husband comforted me and reassured me that what I had experienced was just a bad dream and that it was a way to let me know that Jeremy wanted to come back in. I was not so sure. I kept thinking that something bad might happen to him and so I kept a close eye on him whenever he went out.

Several weeks later, after the "dream" had dissipated and no longer held any fear for me, I heard that horrible howl from him as I stood at the sink doing dishes in the evening. The terrible feelings that I had experienced that morning he howled by my bedside, came flooding back all in a rush. My mother-in-law had just pulled into the driveway and I ran out to see why Jeremy had howled like he did.

There, midway up the drive lay my poor friend. He was no longer howling but whimpering and trying to drag himself to me with his front paws. He had apparently been run over when my mother-in-law had driven up the driveway. We put him in her car and drove him to the vet.

The vet said his spine had been severed by the accident and his back was broken, he would no longer be able to walk. He said that Jeremy was not in any pain for the severed nerves prevented it. The vet, in his attempt to comfort me, told me that, to the dog, it was as if he simply did not have a back half. His words held no comfort for me though. They chilled me as I vividly recalled the "dream" I had not so long ago. I did not want him to live like that and so I said goodbye to him before the vet put him to sleep.