I have been thinking about Henry a lot. Henry. The big black and white cow dog who just showed up in my life one day and proceed to dominate the next 13 years or so. Henry. If you knew me when, you knew Henry.
Henry looked like a cow and a hound dog all mixed up together. Henry was noble, regal, forgiving and unforgiving. He was fiercely loyal and completely understanding if you understood him. A person can learn a lot from a dog. I am writing this because I have been told by many people that I need to tell Henry's story. So, in the course of this and future post, I will try to tell his story and my story.
Funny thing about Henry. He had a way of making friends and making good things happen. And he didn't mind breaking a few rules to do it.
For example, I moved onto Towner Street in Tucson in 1998 (when I was 10 years old :). There was this nice couple across the street and we would sometimes wave and smile. Then, one day in the rain Henry jumped the front fence right when I got home from work and I took off after him, running full speed in the rain in my suit and in heels. Well, after about five blocks I caught Henry and pulling up alongside me was my neighbor Jeff -- who had seen me flying down the road in the rain and in my heels after a crazy escaped cow dog and he just decided I needed help. Which, of course, I did. Because Henry was bad. But, in true Henry form, his act of defiance turned into a great friendship.
So, another example. Henry was a destructive dog in addition to being a dog who jumped fences. A dog with "issues" -- a determined dog. Sometimes this resulted in door frames being ripped down (thanks Mike for putting them back up so many times), curtains being shredded and, once, my house being burned down. But, here's how that turned good -- I took Henry to the pet store buy a crate to put him in while I was at work because I couldn't leave him in the yard (see previous paragraph) and he was ripping my house aside from the inside out (see reference to door frames and curtains). At PetSmart, I was trying to determine the right size crate and a group of customers asked what I was doing. I told them and they all ganged up and say "you aren't putting that beautiful dog in a crate." Now, I am not making a commentary on whether crates are good or bad -- we have crated trained our Aussies. What they did was lead me to the adoption table where I met Maizy. Or, the musty black border collie mix who would become Maizy. It took a while, but Maizy became another beloved friend. One, who like Henry, I still miss. And, one who thanks to Henry, I will always cherish.
The point here: Sometimes you have to be a little outside the norm, jump over the fence, tear down the door frame to meet the people or to experience the situation that will make a difference in your life. I need to remember that. Maybe that is why Henry keeps popping into my head. He's trying to remind me to break the rules a little, push the boundaries and experience the things we don't even know we want to experience.
Amen to that.
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