Seven years ago, on April 18, 2014, our brother, Lemmy, crossed Rainbow Bridge, at the age of 7 years old. Before he joined our family, Mom and Dad spent 7 years planning for Lemmy. So today we are reflecting on 7 years of preparation, 7 years of love, and 7 years of reflection.

Longtime Coming: I’m sure you’re thinking 7 years is a long time to prepare for a dog. You’re right, it is! However, Mom and Dad are planners, and they wanted everything to be perfect. When they were newlyweds they lived in a small apartment that didn’t allow dogs. Now they could have tried to find a different place to live right away, but they knew they were committing to a longterm relationship when this puppy came home. Therefore they started saving their money and looking for the perfect place to call home. It had to have plenty of space to run, be close to dog friendly places to explore, and be designed for this puppy’s creature comforts. Needless to say that took a lot of time and planning.

While focusing on their dog friendly home, they also read as much as they could on the health and care of Golden Retrievers, finding a good breeder, training, and basically anything and everything they thought they would need to know to raise a happy dog. You should see all the books they bought, and the unintentionally humorous notes in the margins that they wrote. And for those who know Dad, yes there were spreadsheets involved!

Then came the most difficult part of those 7 years, finding the “right” breeder. They filled out a lot of applications during that time. Fenced in yard? Yes. Will someone be home with the puppy? Yes. Will the dog spend long periods home alone? No. Do you promise to train the puppy? Yes. The applications and interviews all differed, but they had one goal in mind, making sure the puppy was going to a good home. That’s why when Mom and Dad got rejected, they were crushed but understood. For some breeders it was simply a case where they already had a long waiting list. Others weren’t breeding at the time. But then there were the ones who rejected Mom and Dad because they never owned a dog before. But who can blame these breeders? Raising a puppy is a lot of responsibility. Finally though they found the most wonderful breeder, who not only was willing to take a chance on first time dog owners, she has become one of Mom’s dearest friends.

Life with Lemmy: Lemmy was born on November 29, 2006, and came home on January 25, 2007. Mom still remembers that morning as they were rushing to leave to go pick up their special boy. Dad made her pause and said, “Look around. Our home will never look this way again.” At the time both Dad and Mom thought he was just referring to the cleanliness of the house. Little did they realize how Lemmy’s presence would change their home and lives in so many unexpected ways.

Lemmy was a quirky dog! Take for example his fussy eating habits. Lemmy would refuse treats if he didn’t like them, and worst yet he would go on hunger strikes refusing to eat anything for days if something wasn’t right in his world. Lemmy also was a stickler for the old adage, “everything in its place.” He would let Mom know in no uncertain terms when he disapproved of her changing anything, even the decorations on the mantle or the pictures on the walls! Another quirk that those books didn’t prepare Mom and Dad for was his insistence on walking in big circles around them whenever they explored a new place. Whereas most dogs pull ahead in excitement, Lemmy would orbit like the Earth around the Sun! A strange sight for anyone they encountered on those adventures. Lemmy wasn’t always in a rush though, and understood the importance of slowing down. On neighborhood walks there was a certain spot where he would suddenly flop on his belly on the side of the road, refusing to move a step further. Many a concerned car would stop and offer help, but Mom would politely explain that they were just watching the clouds roll by. The photo I chose for this post was taken on one of those stops.

Lemmy loved people, especially our Grandpa! Lemmy knew he could get away with things with Grandpa, that he couldn’t with anyone else. Oh how they would enjoy wrestling together! They even had this special trick where Lemmy would gently remove Grandpa’s glasses and place them to one side for safety, much to Grandma’s dismay! However, despite his wild ways with Grandpa, Lemmy also could sense when he needed to be calm. Lemmy would quietly sit by the sides of our Great Nana and Great Grammy during nursing home visits, to the point even Mom and Dad couldn’t believe this well behaved dog was their wild Lemmy. He strongly disliked when people petted him on the head, but there he would sit for long periods of time, with our great grandmothers’ hands resting on his head. He knew they needed him. Lemmy was also determined to make friends with anyone. He didn’t care what they looked like, which included a very frightening looking clown at a Halloween event. Lemmy dragged a reluctant Dad over to that menacing foe, and was determined not to leave until that clown with the ginormous jagged teeth and creepy rubber hands petted him. Which to everyone’s surprise, he did!

As much as Lemmy loved people though, he disliked dogs. Oh sure he would play with them, but he made it quite clear when it came to socializing he’d prefer to be with the humans instead. At the dog park he would sit on the benches with the humans and watch the other dogs play, and at playdates with friends he would quickly get bored with his fellow canines, and go check on what the humans were doing. However, Mom and Dad thought because they worked outside of the home, he was lonely and needed a friend. So at Lemmy’s ripe old age of 5, I joined the family. Lemmy hid from me! Not exactly the homecoming any of us were expecting. But I don’t blame him. For 5 years Lemmy had Mom and Dad all to himself. He had their undivided attention, not to mention trained to his specifications. They would go on adventures together to where he wanted to go, again Lemmy had strong opinions on where he did and didn’t like to visit. They would play games the way he wanted to play, including “Har! Har! I have the ball!” instead of the more traditional fetch. He even had them trained on the proper technique for petting, which was the hind end scratch. Who was I to come bursting in on their happy little family and change all that? But I did! And over time Lemmy grew to appreciate me as his friend and protector. I bravely faced what he didn’t want to, and in return I would show him there was nothing to fear, including those pink flamingos in our yard that he never did trust. In exchange, Lemmy was a gentle soul who never so much as barked at me when I may have been acting a bit annoying.

However, Lemmy was keeping a secret from Mom and Dad. He had Cushing’s Disease. They knew Lemmy had health issues, and there were frequent trips to see Dr. Brion and various specialists. However, Lemmy’s symptoms could easily be mistaken for other more common illnesses in dogs. I knew the truth though. I could smell the tumor on Lemmy’s pituitary gland, and tried to tell my family by sniffing at his head frequently. But no one listened to me. Lemmy kept his secret for years, and through many misdiagnoses. Until he got very sick and couldn’t keep it secret any longer. After one last amazing week as a family visiting his favorite places and saying goodbye to his dear friends and family, at the age of 7 years old, Lemmy crossed Rainbow Bridge at 9:00 PM on April 18, 2014.

Lemmy’s Legacy: Sunday will mark the 7 year anniversary of that very sad goodbye. For seven years his favorite toy, Mr. Octopus, has sat next to Mom’s desk, along with a box filled with treasured mementoes. His photos and other favorite objects can still be found throughout our home as if he just stepped out for a moment. And memories of his adventures are frequently shared. I’m happy to say too, that after 7 years those stories make Mom and Dad smile again, although the tears do still come too. He also left his physical mark with a drool stain on a windowsill that 7 years later Mom continues to refuse to wash away. It was his favorite place to sit and wait for Dad to return from work. Another lasting reminder is all of our wastebaskets have lids, even though Asa and I show no interest in eating Lemmy’s must have snack of tissues. Also whenever there is a thunderstorm, Mom’s gut instinct continues to be to drop everything and go check on Lemmy, even though she knows he’s not hiding under the kitchen table anymore. However, Lemmy’s legacy is much more than treasured mementoes, happy memories, and odd habits.

They say you don’t get the dog you want, you get the dog you need. That was our Lemmy. He showed two first time dog owners, who thought they planned for everything, that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. Lemmy’s legacy is he taught Mom and Dad many important life lessons that they never could have planned for or learned from all those books that they read. Lessons that they will always keep close to their hearts, and never forget.

Lemmy, I don’t know where the next 7 years will lead, but I can guarantee those life lessons you taught all of us, including me, your pesky little brother, will live on in our hearts. And we will continue to share your stories with Asa, and anyone who will listen. We love you, Lemmy! We’ll see you again at the end of the trail…