Changing of the Guard

“Dogs have a way of finding those that need them, and filling an emptiness we didn’t even know that we had…”
When we found Charlie, both she and I were in a bad place; not just geographically, but mentally and physically as well. But who would have known back then that the decision to invite this emaciated creature into our home would have the effect she has had over the last eight years?
But then again, all the great ones do that. While I cannot count the dogs that have checked into the Casa del Whackos over the years, there have been some dogs just seem to happen when they were needed most: Uki the Wonder Dog, King Beebe, Max E. Million, and now Charlie Bravo.
Then there are the dogs obviously destined for greatness but taken far too soon to have their destiny fulfilled; dogs like Stevie Mae, Bull Taco, Ajax, Skinny Minnie and the list goes on and on. The loss of these travelers is felt at least as keenly, as they leave me always questioning, even years later, “what if?…”
That brings us to Sir Mac o’ the Duff. While he doesn’t possess the same royal bearing as The Queen, he has had absolutely no issue assuming that he does. My grandson, Jude, with all the inherent wisdom that a three year old can muster, summed it up best when he and my son Zach were following us down the road a few days ago. They were riding in Zach’s truck, and I was piloting the sidecar with Charlie in the hack and The Duff perched on the back of the bike. Zach asked Jude “who is having the most fun, Baba or Charlie?” Jude’s reply “Baba!”. Then Zach: “then what about Charlie or MacDuff?” Jude, as if it were a waste of his valuable time to be stating the obvious, “MACDUFF!”.
And that’s how it stands today; Charlie is slowing a bit while Duff is hitting his stride. While I do find this transition very uncomfortable, I also know that change is seldom comfortable; while Charlie can rest easy in the knowledge that her position as the Queen of the Casa will never be challenged, MacDuff can be allowed to fulfill his own destiny. Besides, Charlie is going to be very preoccupied in the very near future, promoting her new illustrated book, “Charlie Bravo; From Crate to Queen”; already halfway done, and it’s going to be a jaw-dropper.
Stay tuned…