Ten Years of Twelve Oaks

I am broken. No, I am shattered. There is a hole where my heart usually rests. I placed my hand on her so I could feel her heartbeat. At first, it was steady and strong. Then it grew weak until there was no beating at all.

Over the last few weeks, we knew we would have to make the decision that every pet lover dreads. Oaks' health had been declining for the last three weeks. Yesterday, we had her put to rest. We knew it was time. She had given us ten wonderful years.

On July 28, 2016, we loaded up the car, along with Tara, and drove from Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Tucson, Arizona. We stayed with my dad for the night, and the next morning we went to Arizona Greyhound Rescue. They had a few recently rescued dogs for us to meet.

The first was a male dog with such a high prey drive that he still had a strong instinct to chase and kill small animals. While in the “lobby” area he stared at the fish tank as if he wanted fish for dinner. We decided that was too much for us and that he would not be a good match for Tara.

The second dog was Cossette. She was very sweet and gentle. She has her own story.

Finally, there was Deidra. She was smaller than the other two and faun-colored. She stayed close to us as we walked around the lot. It felt as if she was saying, “please take me home.”

We had to make a decision. Which one were we going to adopt and add to our family?

Then we thought, "Hell, what's one more dog?"

We decided to take them both.

We loaded them up and headed home.

On the drive back, we decided to keep Cossette's name. Why not? She shared the name of a major character in Les Misérables. Everyone knows, gays and Broadway are a great combination. We did not care for the name Deidra. Since Tara was named after the O'Hara plantation in Gone With the Wind, we renamed Deidra "Twelve Oaks," the name of the Wilkes plantation, and shortened it to Oaks.

In the beginning, she was scared, timid, and skittish. She wanted to check you out, but don't try to touch her. That was the rule.

She approached life with caution. Exploration was on her terms, and no one should push those boundaries.

One of the things that amazed me over the years was her ability to come out of her shell. She became a dog who loved attention and wasn't shy about asking for it in unusual ways.

Since our move to Uruguay, she found two ways to request attention. If she wanted to be petted and you did not respond to her big puppy-dog eyes, she would slide her needle nose under your arm and lift upward. Then she would wait. If you still did not get the message, she would simply do it again.

The other way she demanded attention was by coming up behind you and putting her head between your legs, then pushing forward until her head popped through and you could see her by looking down.

The outdoors was her domain.

Even when we first brought her home and she was too scared to venture beyond the computer room, she loved being outside. It was as if she felt safe being in the open. Once we moved into our house in Bristol, Connecticut, she was in heaven. She had a huge backyard to explore and run around in.

She may have been the smallest of our three dogs, but she was the fastest. She was usually in the lead whenever all three of them ran around the yard.

As she got older and ran less, she claimed a few favorite spots as her own in the backyard. She would go outside, lie down, and watch the wildlife.

The snow did not slow her down, either. She loved kicking it up as she bounded through the white powder.

Greyhounds are notorious for having bad teeth. It is simply something common to the breed.

Oaks was no exception.

Around 2022, we had to have many of her teeth removed. The veterinarian removed all the teeth from one side of her mouth. She healed quickly and was soon back to her usual self.

The biggest difference was that her tongue would slide out of that side of her mouth.

In reality, it hung out much of the time when she was awake. Sometimes, though, her tongue had a way of tucking itself under her lip, leaving only a small tip visible.

It was adorable.

Sometimes it was this long tongue hanging out of her mouth; other times, it was just a tiny pink tip that was barely noticeable.

We gave her the nickname "Side Tongue." It was affectionate, and it perfectly fit her personality.

Over the last month, we watched her health decline.

She lost the use of one of her front legs. She slept more and ate less. She lost weight, and greyhounds do not have much weight to lose in the first place.

On Monday morning, we woke up and, given her condition, knew it was time. It was time to let her go and let her be at peace.

A veterinarian came to the house and put her to rest. He even teared up. Later, a pet cremation service came and took her away. She will be cremated then her ashes will be spread at the base of a newly planted tree.

I thought I was mentally prepared to let her go.

I wasn't.

As I write this, tears are streaming down my face. I don't think you realize how much space a pet occupies in your heart until they are gone.

What is one more dog?

For us, it was ten years of unconditional love.

It was the opportunity to watch her grow, to come out of her shell, and to bloom.

It was ten years of memories that I will carry with me for as long as I live.