Duchess

I was doing a signing at Book Carnival near our home in Orange County, and near the end a woman came up to me to talk about a terrible situation she was facing. She said that her husband had cancer, and they couldn’t have a dog around because of the possibility of infection. She said that they’d have to give up their ten-year-old black Lab, Duchess, and asked if I would take her.

The story she told didn’t ring completely true for me, especially when I told her that I would take the dog, but that I would see myself as more of a caretaker for her. If the woman’s situation changed, and it became OK for the husband to be in the house with Duchess, then she could take her back. She seemed uninterested in this possibility, which surprised me, because usually owners who are forced to give up their dogs for similar reasons grab on to the possibility of someday getting them back.

I really had no interest in dwelling on whether her story was accurate, because if she wanted or needed to give up this incredibly sweet dog, for whatever reason, then Duchess would probably be better off with us. But my suspicions increased in the two weeks after Duchess entered our home. I e-mailed the woman updates about her progress and how she was adapting that were very positive, yet she didn’t respond.

The bottom line is that Duchess has now been with us for about four years, and she has never, not once, caused the slightest problem. She doesn’t bark, she never gets angry, and when you walk by her, she rolls onto her back to get her stomach scratched. She’s somewhat incontinent, but it’s handled by medication. There could not be a nicer dog, and she’s been a fantastic addition to our family.