Quincy

Rounding the corner of the dog kennels at the Humane Society, I saw a small pair of scared eyes peer out the door at me walking down the corridor and I knew at that very moment that we were meant to be together. I hurried to his kennel and read his info card which read “Brussels Griffon”. It was entirely too difficult to tell by looking at him what his breed was because he was in such rough shape but even so, if I hadn’t made it there at that exact minute, the family behind me would have been the one to bring him home as the dad of the family said, “is this one yours?” and I confidently replied, “oh yes, he is”.

From that warm summer day when we brought him home to the very moment he took his last breath, Quincy was attached to my lap. As far as he knew, I was his property and that was just fine with me. A vibrant and cheerful companion, he always had a bounce to his step and a “don’t mess with me…or my mama” attitude. He was a very large dog in a small package. When Quincy wasn’t out for a walk chasing the turkeys and geese, he was inside playing ferociously with his toys or cuddling with his momma or daddy which was his ultimate favorite thing to do and the thing I miss the most.

Though we won’t hear that alerting bark or the playful growl within our home any longer, we still sense his presence about us. And when I hear the rustling leaves on his favorite paths I can almost see him in plain view running and sniffing in the tall grass. It is then that I realize how joyous it must be for him right now to be running through heaven’s fields, dancing with the angels and drinking from the pure stream of the river of life. Quincy was not just one of us, he was part of us and he will remain in our soul forever.