Visitations
by: LadyAnna
Total views: 206
Word Count: 1527
By: LadyAnna
Email: AnnCummins8@aol.com
Visitations
In the early 1980’s my household was run by two miniature Schnauzers, one named Fritzie, the other Schultzie. When Fritzie died at the age of fourteen Schultzie was devastated, but we got another puppy Sami and things seemed fine. But then the visitations started.
Both my husband and I worked all day so no one was home to keep Fritzie
company. He was one of those dogs that loved people and loved to be around them. He was getting depressed and destructive. So we decided to get another dog, for him, for companionship. My husband went to a kennel in our area and came back with a little black cloud of unkempt fur. Taking one look at my dumbstruck expression he explained to me that the breeder had just one puppy left from the last litter. The breeder was going to put that puppy to sleep because he had been born with cataracts so she hadn’t bothered to groom him, so she would let us have him for free but no papers. Initially I was speechless, but as I looked at the little bundle of salt and pepper fur I decided what the heck he was kind of cute. As we later learned even though Schultzie couldn’t see he could still see shadows. Because he couldn’t see well his hearing became more acute to make up for his sight. Fritzie became his big brother immediately, somehow he sensed that Schultzie needed his help. Both dogs wore name tags on their collars which rattled as they ran. Schultzie would just listen for Fritzie’s tags jangling and follow that sound. Schultzie got around really well but sometimes it was like a really bad Helen Keller joke; just don’t move the furniture. When Fritzie got older he would like to sneak into one of the bedrooms and be by himself. I guess he got tired of never being able to be alone. Schultzie would look for him, but not hearing his tags he would just lay in wait. As soon as Fritzie moved Schultzie’s acute hearing would pick up the rattle of the tags and he would go in search of him. They played an endless game of hide and seek.
When Fritzie reached fourteen years of age he was still pretty frisky, so it came as a shock when he just collapsed one evening and to put we had to put him to sleep. We deeply missed Fritzie and so did Schultzie. We decided to get another puppy. Schultzie tried to get along with the puppy Sami, but there was a thirteen year age difference. When Sami got older they would get into fights and sometimes nip each other. Schultzie would try to follow Sami by the sound of his tags, but Sami would just run away and do his best Greta Garbo. There was just too much of an age difference.
Then very slowly about six months later, the visitations started. I would be sitting in the living-room watching television late at night, and I would hear the doggy door swing in the kitchen. I would look over to see which dog had just come in or gone out, and both dogs would be sleeping right beside by chair. At first I told myself it was the wind, sometimes the
I now felt vindicated but still didn’t know what was going on. The visitations were escalating. One Sunday I was leaning up against the kitchen counter. I had my back turned writing out my grocery list when I heard the doggy door. I turned to see which one of the dogs was coming in. Nothing materialized so I turned in the other direction to see where the dogs were. They were both lying in the living-room sleeping. As I turned to go back to writing I felt a breeze on the back of my bare legs and actually felt a chill run up my back. I had felt something brush against me as if one of the dogs had just run by.
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About two weeks after this incident Schultzie collapsed and we had to put him to sleep. It just broke my heart as Sami would go from room to room, even checking the closets when opened looking for Schultzie. I guess he thought Schultzie was playing hide and seek with him as they used to do when Schultzie was alive. As time went by Sami accepted that Schultzie was not coming back. We also accepted the fact that he was the type of dog that loved being king of the hill, and didn’t need any extra competition. His territory consisted of the house and back yard, and he ruled over it all like an omnipotent despot. There were no more visitations after Schultzie died. Even in death the bond was not broken.
About the Author
Anna Cummins has been a businesswoman for over 30 years. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, grown-up son, and second son "Jake" her miniature Schnauzer puppy.
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