Acquiring a Service Dog: Zeus's Last Days

Originally written December 16, 2010 for my Teachinmama blog, the beginning part of this post is a harbinger of the Dogs of Our Lives series that I write now.

For background, I'd just had my first knee replacement and was home for the month of December recovering. Every day I sent an email to my students to let them know I was thinking of them and missed them. Often that email centered around Zeus's presumed antics while he kept me company as I recovered.

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Hi, Folks!

Another two hour delay?? There isn't as much excitement about a delay or a snow day when you are already home on a 34 DAY delay. But I hope you enjoyed the extra free time, and please, please, PLEASE be careful when waiting for the bus - the roads are slick!

I continue to do well. Today I wrapped Christmas gifts - with 16 Isenbargers, that's a lot of gifts to wrap! Because of the surgery, I am very, very slow at wrapping. Guess I need those 34 days to get it all done!

I could NOT believe Zeus today. He is working very hard to persuade me to just stay home and not go back to work. You know what he did? Look at this!

He knows we do Classics in class, so he is reading one here at home. His choice? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  He loves my pop-up version, and the Emerald City page is his favorite. Sorry, puppy, but just because you are a gifted and talented dog and can read, that doesn't mean I want to miss out on my students' classics reports and projects!

But Zeus wasn't done showing me that I need to be with him, and that he is indispensible to me. As I was wrapping those Christmas presents, I happened to look over to where I thought Zeus was napping in his bed. Can you BELIEVE what that crazy dog is doing?

Those are Zach's, Matthew's, Zane's, Nick's, Emma's, and Kamryn's Classics reports. Zeus snagged them off my desk and is trying to grade them for me. Needless to say, I had to explain to him that the "Zeus Pawprint of Approval" is simply NOT the same thing as an A, and besides, how on earth do I average Pawprints of Approval into the gradebook?

Zeus still was not done in trying to be helpful. Knowing that I cannot walk on snow or ice, and so none of our outdoor holiday decorations have been hung, he decided to dig through the storage tubs and see if he could be of assistance.

The first thing he pulled out were my GINORMOUS ornaments that I hang from the shepherds crooks in the yard.

Sounds like a nice thing for him to do, right? But think for a moment. What do dogs do with balls? Yep, you guessed it, they chase them, they chew them, they run around with them....  Zeus could NOT resist playing with them, and so I took them away, thanked him for offering, and suggested he try stringing the outdoor lights for me.

BIG MISTAKE. First Zeus plugged them in to make sure they worked and that none of the bulbs were burnt out. (I thought he looked rather handsome with cheery lights twinkling around him.)

Then he tried to untangle them. The more he worked, the worse the tangle became. Look at him smiling - he thought that was pretty funny! I had to take them away from him, too, and told him we'd let Mr. I. hang them. Zeus pouted a bit, but I gave him a Christmas cookie and that made him feel better. (I ate one, too - yummy!)

Zeus finally gave up on trying to prove how much I needed him. He's snoozing by my bed right now (does he ever SNORE - he snores louder than Mr. I.!!)  and we are both waiting for Lisa to arrive. She just texted me that her flight had landed in Indianapolis and she was on her way to West Lafayette. Hey, maybe SHE will hang those decorations outside! I'll ask her when she gets here.

I sure miss you all, and I wish I could high-five, fist bump, and hug you! I am hoping to come next week for a short visit - it will depend on how far I can walk. I am practicing here at home, so cross your fingers.

Love, 

Mrs. I.

P.S. Zeus says "hi"! Well, actually, he said "ARF" but he MEANT "hi." :D

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Sadly, Zeus passed away just four days later on December 20, 2010. I wrote the following message to my family:

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Having my knee replacement surgery now instead of June provided me with 3 weeks at home with Zeus, time I would not have had had I been teaching. That time is a treasure to me. He was my constant companion - where I was, he was. I even made up funny stories about him for my classroom, and he kept me company as well as made me laugh.

And, Dad and I are very aware that we had a whole extra year with Zeus that we never planned on. He was diagnosed with cancer in November, 2009, and yet he lived another 13 months. Not only did all of you get to see him last Christmas, but you saw him this summer for the weddings and you again saw him at Thanksgiving. What a gift to us all it was to have that extra time with Zeus.

Dad and I are at peace, although we are very sad at the same time. Recently I heard a talk where someone discussed the scripture, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." The point the speaker made, though, was not the usual one. He said that, if you are mourning, then you have loved deeply, and the blessing is that you have had such a great love. 

I think that is applicable here. We loved Zeus deeply, and we are blessed to have had him and that love for him. And most definitely he returned that love. He was quite a dog and part of our family. And while we mourn, we also find joy not only in the memories, but in knowing we will be with him again.

Love you all,

Mom

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Rest in peace, Zeus.

You were some dog!