Yesterday afternoon at the vet’s office, I was unsure if I would have a Happy Father’s Day with Holly Golightly, my 17-year-old dog.
I consider myself as her daddy, and so does she.
As I held her in my arms while Annette drove us to the vet’s, I wasn’t sure if Holly would be coming home with us.
I also thought about my own Father’s Day and the fact that I have only been celebrated on that day by my pet dogs and cats for the past 53 years.
Although I have a daughter – Robin Jennifer, I have only seen her three times since she left home in 1988 at sixteen (she was born on March 21, 1981).
She recently celebrated her 53rd birthday (which is another reason I feel old).
Robin Jennifer
Robin asked if she could come out to North Vancouver to live with us in 1986 when she was 15 because she didn’t like the rules her mom gave her at their home in Oshawa, Ontario.
I agreed, and Annette and I picked her up at the airport a few weeks later after my ex-wife decided to let her.
On the drive home that day, Robin asked me if we had any rules for her.
I told her that we didn’t because she now claimed to be an adult – so we would treat her like an adult, and there wouldn’t be any rules – unless she gave me a reason.
By the way, Annette never disciplined or made any rules for Robin.
In fact, she treated her as a sister, more than the typical stepmother relationship.
I remember them lying on Robin’s bed and reading gossip magazines together.
Within a year, she was smoking, skipping school, drinking, and on birth control pills.
So I was forced to introduce rules for her.
But I have written about Robin in other stories, including this Father’s Day Story about her in 2019.
Please read that story, so I can have the rest of the day enjoying some precious time with Holly.
And if you’re still waiting for me – here’s a great video clip of the group Playing For Change:
********
It’s the middle of the afternoon, and I just got home from a walk in the neighborhood, and I am very exhausted, so I won’t be able to continue with the story until I spend some time in the bathtub studio, listening to music.
And then I am taking a nap.
My Dad (1921-2001)
But first, I will post the song for this story because I am thinking about my late Dad and how we never told each other that we loved each other until I flew to Toronto and visited him on his deathbed.
After kissing him on the forehead and whispering in his ear, I hoped he had forgiven me for anything I may have ever done or said to him.
I also told him I loved him for the first time in my life.
Although he was in a coma, I was shocked at his reply and wrote about it in my Why I Never Forget My Dad’s Last Word story.
He passed about an hour later.
UPDATE: Monday, June 19th – 4:45 AM
Note from Danny – Although I did not plan to include my daughter and dad in this story – I did so because I needed to air those memories one last time before archiving them back to my mind and soul.
So, before confusing Spanky any more than he is, I’ll continue the story about my dog, Holly Golightly.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Holly Golightly
After Dr. Phil Andersen, our awesome vet, had examined Holly, he explained that she had a tumor inside her ear passage.
He also said that Holly was running a temperature and her heart was weak, which was normal for her age.
Dr. Andersen recommended that he perform surgery while she was in the office, and I agreed.
He gave Holly sedation before he did the surgery, and we had to wait 12-15 minutes with her lying between Annette and me on the couch in the waiting room.
The Surgery
Once the waiting time was complete, he gave Holly more sedation before doing the surgery – and there would need to be another 15-minute wait.
We remained in the examining room as the doctor performed the surgery and chatted with us during the procedure, which was really comforting.
When he finished, he asked us to return to the waiting room and said he would bring Holly to us in about 15 minutes.
After that period ended, Dr. Andersen carried Holly, wrapped in a blanket, in his arms as you would with a newborn baby – which gave me a lump in the throat; for two reasons.
The first reason is that it showed the doctor’s loving dedication to his animal patients’ well-being.
And the second reason is that it made me feel like Holly’s father when he placed her on the couch beside me.
He cautioned that we would need to wait there with her for about 30 minutes and to be careful not to put our hands close to her face because she would not know who were and would bite us!
He also indicated that she would react similarly to having convulsions during that period.
But I placed my hand under the blanket and stroked her back and hindquarters.
And Annette had Holly’s head resting on her hand, which must have been difficult because her cat Sugar had passed a few ago, and she was still grieving.
Dr. Andersen’s Instructions
Dr. Andersen came and checked on Holly and gave us instructions for caring for her during the next several hours as she awakens because she will be disoriented and may have trouble with her balance.
He also mentioned that he did not know if the tumor removal would result in Holly not spinning in circles, and he wanted to see her again in three weeks to remove the staples from her ear.
I thanked the doctor and told him that we have never had such a great vet before, and I told him we would never forget his kindness – ever!
However, I did not tell him that Holly would be my last pet – I am too unhealthy to care for one.
I carried Holly, still wrapped in the blanket, to the car, and Annette helped get me seated because both of my arms were cradling Holly.
Home Again
The drive home from the vet took about 15 minutes, after which I sat in the recliner with Holly still cradled in my arms.
I held Holly like that for about 30 minutes, but then I gave her to Annette to hold because I needed to go pee badly (my Depend overfloweth).
I changed into my pajamas because I knew I would need to be up with Holly all day long.
I asked Annette to take a photo of me holding Holly.
When I returned from the washroom, I took a photo of Annette holding Holly.
But instead of holding Holly for the next several hours, I put her in the living room bed and took a shower.
Then I walked in the neighborhood for about 25 minutes and was exhausted when I got home, so I soaked in a hot bath and napped.
I woke up when Holly began to stir, and she was really ‘out-of-it.’
So I picked her up and cradled her in my arms, kissing and talking to her, even though she was deaf.
I did that for about two hours, and then she fell asleep, so I carried her to her bed beside mine and watched the Blue Jays game I had taped.
But not for long, because I fell asleep again and didn’t wake up until I heard her pacing back and forth at the foot of my bed.
Father’s Day
I looked at the clock, and it was a few minutes after Midnight on Father’s Day.
I was surprised to see this Father’s Day card on my dresser!
I picked Holly up and took her into the living room.
But when I put her down, she began walking up and down the hallway – continuously, and because she’s almost blind, she began bumping into things.
So I closed all the doors and created a barrier of pillows, blankets, and cushions to enclose the area.
Holly continued pacing around the living room, and it dawned on me that she wasn’t spinning in circles!
However, she didn’t stop pacing until I picked her up and took her to my bed to lay with me until she fell asleep.
As soon as Holly nodded off again, I put her in her bed beside mine.
She woke at about 9:00 AM when I had my second cup of coffee.
She was walking normally and showed no signs of pain or discomfort, so I prepared a plate for her, but she wouldn’t eat anything.
Instead, she went to bed and slept most of the day.
I took one last video clip of her on the balcony – sniffing as all dogs do – for the best-smelling place to go potty.
As I waited for her, I remembered the photo of Holly and me from March 2010, a few months after my last radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
It is now 9:00 AM, and I am happy to report that Holly is doing well.
I also want to thank Annette for nursing Holly and me – I honestly don’t know how we would still be alive without her care.
If you have a pet and live in the Fraser Valley – I strongly recommend All Creatures Animal Hospital in South Surrey.
Tell Dr. Andersen and his staff that Danny and Holly Golightly sent you!
UPDATE: June 25th – 11:00 PM
Dr. Phil Andersen, our vet at All Creatures Animal Hospital, notified me that the lab result for the removed tumor was benign!
Holly is still spinning in circles whenever she returns to the apartment after going potty, so I had to put pillows and cushions around the furniture.
She is eating well and still follows me from room to room, worried I will leave her.
As sad as that seems, expressing my heart’s joy at being loved unconditionally is difficult for me to put into words.
And if you or a loved one are facing serious health and/or mobility challenges, be like Holly and me and never give up!
Because some stories have a happy ending!
Dedicated to Dr. Phil Andersen
I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.
Hugs,
Danny
Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):
In a little while from now
If I’m not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top
Will throw myself off
In an effort to
Make it clear to whoever
Wants to know what it’s like when you’re shattered
Left standing in the lurch by the church
Where people saying, “My God, that’s tough,
She stood him up
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home”
As I did on my own
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright, and gay
Looking forward to, well, who wouldn’t do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about God in His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
There are more hearts broken in the world
That can’t be mended
Left unattended
What do we do?
What do we do?
Alone again, naturally
Looking back over the years
And whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, God rest her soul
Couldn’t understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart
So badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all-day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
Songwriters: Gilbert O Sullivan
Alone Again (Naturally) lyrics © Grand Upright Music Ltd
Leave a Reply