Dog = Love

- January 23, 2020

By Brother Luke

Sometimes people like to point out that dog is God spelled backwards. I think it’s a four-letter word: LOVE. Of course, God is Love. But so is dog.

During Thanksgiving week, Kahn was having trouble standing. This was new, and more than just arthritis pain, so we took him to the vet for an evaluation. I did not want to hear the answer I suspected was coming. “It’s time to make the final arrangements.” We are often lucky here because when it is time to say good-bye to one of our dogs, it usually means that the dog has been retired and is going to a new family. But when we keep the dog for the duration of its life, then we, like all other dog owners, must face that day when we have to say the final good-bye to our dog.

Yes, Kahn was 11 1/2 years old. He had a good long life. But we all know that dogs’ lives are never long enough. The Psalmist, speaking of us, has it right for dogs: the years go by quickly and then they (our dogs) are gone!

When Kahn first arrived here from Germany, I worried that maybe his tail was too long and twisted, that his muzzle was a bit narrow (although that was accentuated by his light markings down the middle of his nose), and of course you never know how they will perform as studs until you try. Well, all those concerns were blown away in short order. He took no time at all learning his role as a stud dog, and he sired many beautiful puppies.

Kahn was the ultimate goodwill ambassador for our breeding program. He wanted to make friends with anyone who came here. He would go up to them, circle around, and then sidle up to them and LEAN ON THEM, expecting them to pet him. And it worked! He loved taking rides in the car—anybody’s car! I jokingly complained that his loyalty to me ended when another car door opened! He made friends with the staff here, and his girlfriends upstairs in the staff offices! When we visited local rehabilitation centers he was always admired, and he reciprocated any sign of affection.

But for me, he was a special pal. We took innumerable hikes in the woods on our trails with my other dogs. They had great fun playing with each other. In the winter there was no greater joy than rolling around and getting covered with snow. Thunderstorms were another matter. He probably was never sensitized to the noise, so he would search for a safe place to hide, usually near me, on or under the bed! The best place in that circumstance was his crate, where he would feel safe and be calm.

I often took my dogs down our road, walking but also with me on a bike and they running along with me. At the end of our property I would put them on a down-stay, and then I would go to the bottom of the road and return. Kahn helped teach the younger dogs to stay put. This didn’t eliminate his desire to be with me. At dinner, at times I would bring him into the dining room and have him on a down-stay, but if I left the room, it was not unusual for him to get up and look for me. So, down-stay had its challenges, depending on the circumstances.

We also had our incidents when mischief led to mishaps. Once we had to have him operated on to retrieve a sock of mine that he had eaten and not passed. It was my fault; I had tied up the sock for use as a toy for the puppies, not realizing that he would see it as something to consume!

During these past ten years I have raised many puppies. Kahn was not a fan of puppies! As long as they were small and annoying, he wanted nothing to do with them, and he let them know that. Once they were about 6 months old, then they became playmates, and the relationship changed. Usually the change started outside, where he could play but also get away if he felt pestered. Ultimately, if the pups stayed with me beyond a year, then they were playmates for real.

Kahn was a love bug who loved shutter-bugs! He knew the quintessential German Shepherd pose, and he would do it for anyone willing to take his picture. And he was always prepared! He loved being groomed. Our new exercise pens include a grooming room, and every time Kahn ran to or from the exercise pens, he stopped in front of the grooming room door, expecting to go in to be groomed. And inside he would, in one leap, fly up onto the grooming table. Got to look good for the photos!

Kahn was a dog who loved play, loved life, loved people. He knew when I needed him to lean on me! When circumstances might be stressful, he could sense the time to take my mind into another direction. He came over and just insisted that I pay attention to him, and that was usually just what I needed.

And it was truly needed on that last day in the vet’s office. I went into the consultation room where he was, and the veterinarian left the room to give me time alone with Kahn. I knew what was coming. I knelt down next to him, put my arms around him, and cried. There he was, leaning into me, giving what he knew so well how to give: love and devotion. Even in the last few minutes of his life, he was there for me as I tried to come to grips with letting him go. Finally, with little resistance, he lay down. The vet came in and gave him a drug to let him sleep. Then, the last drug, to carry him away. And there he was, my prince, my Kahn-man, my friend, on his way to the other side.

Until we meet again, Kahn, love you!