Mabel
December 12, 2012-March 21, 2023
It is truly hard to describe the value of a family pet.
I was raised on a gravel, dead-end road on 40-acres in rural east Tennessee. We always had dogs. Always. Most of the time, they would get run over by the school bus.
Occasionally, though, we would have a few that got smart and left the school bus alone and they lived long enough for us to grow attached. But they were ALWAYS outside dogs and they weren’t ever really INVOLVED in our lives but rather more or less on the perimeter.
But since I met and married JoAnne, we have invited dogs to live WITH us. We have grown attached to them and they are more a part of our daily lives.
Now, as I buried our longest living family pet to date, I am reflecting upon her value. Mable was a beautiful dog that at first wreaked havoc on everyone and everything around her. Barked at guests, tormented skittish children and often would dig through trash or leave a deposit indoors that are supposed to be outdoors.
When we got Mabel, our kids were 13, 11, 9 and 7. Basically, she entered our lives at the single busiest season possible. We were homeschooling, karate, gymnastics, piano, guitar, soccer, church, hikes, plays, and everything else.
She would pile in when we were trying to watch TV.
She would help Max clean up from working in chicken all day.
She would go with us to practices
She would be patient when the girls were trying to work on their nail-polishing skills
Have you ever felt like you were a little too big to do something? Well Mabel was great at showing the world that size is only in your head…
She was always willing to help with school
Occasionally, she would get up in our business
She helped wake us up from a long night of sleep or from naps that had gone too long
She LOVED to hike
Summer OR winter
She showed us that there is NEVER a bad time for a nap!
She was always teaching us that it was TOTALLY okay to be a little awkward
She was definitely a part of us; SHE believed she was an equal member of the family
Each one of us loved her in our own little way
Watching out for us is what she did best. We had a great dog. She was a part of us. She loved us, and loved being with us. She wanted to be on our lap. She wanted to be in the middle of whatever we were doing.
Just before she died, all 4 kids, three of whom no longer live with us, made it back for one final weekend together. She was frail. She was not herself. But for one last weekend, she received love from each of the kids she had loved on for 10 years. One by one, each of the kids said their goodbyes and eventually drove off. Audrey, who still lives with us, hugged and kissed her on that last day, too. Max was the last one to leave. That night, after everyone had said their goodbyes, she went to bed and passed.
Her kids, now 23, 21, 19 and 16 are mostly grown and her job is complete. Because of the presence of Mabel, our kids enjoyed their naps more, laughed more, ran more and played more than they would have otherwise.
We, without debate, were better off with her than to have never had her.
She will be missed.
