2dogs2000miles.org A Journey of Love.

I love dogs.

It didn’t start out this way for me. There was a time, a time I remember, that dogs terrified me. This fear did not come from my parents, who were both dog lovers. My Dad hypothesized that my encounter at age 5 with a rather large deer, at a petting zoo in Michigan, set my fear of animals in motion. The deer went from innocently feeding from my hand to cornering a terrified me. I don’t actually remember this incident, but someone, somehow, was filming the occasion with my Dad’s 8mm camera and I have seen it over and over again for the better part of, oh… 52 years.

Dogs were on the top of my list of animals to fear. I think my Dad may have been correct with the deer thing… but it took my Dad to also remedy the fear. He did so by allowing my brothers to get a puppy. I remember the day they picked the puppy out of 8 other puppies in a litter of strays. The owner of the mother was anxious to find homes for the puppies, and on one Sunday morning, on our way home from church, my Dad pulled into the little country store where the puppies lived and said, “Let’s pick out our puppy.”

My brothers bolted from our car while I tentatively held back. My Mom and Dad encouraged me to look at all the puppies… I’m sure to give me some ownership in this new little addition to our family. Soon, my older brother was crawling under the porch where the littlest puppy was sleeping. The runt. The other pups were frolicking and tumbling together… but not the teeny one. My brother picked up the little pup and pulled him out from under the porch into the sunshine of that Sunday morning. The pup opened its tiny eyes and looked right at me. I fell in love.

We called him Mr. Chips, for the novel Goodbye, Mr. Chips that one of us must have been reading at that time… but he soon became Chippy. I was 9 years old. I would have Chippy in my life until after I was married. Chippy was a beautiful brown color with brilliant white markings on his chest and feet. He would grow to the size of a German Shepherd. He was a bit wild and definitely independent… a far cry from that sleepy little runt under the porch staircase. But Chippy was a family member, my brother, who was loved beyond all measure. I told Chippy just about everything a girl turned teenager turned woman could tell a dog. And he listened.

The day Chippy died was one of the saddest days of my life, but my family knew that he had 14 incredibly happy and adventurous years. But my heart knew I could never go through that pain again..

Fast forward 12 years. Barry and I were at a graduation party with Audrey and Janie when an entire litter of strays kept poking their noses under the fence, hoping that these partying strangers might have some scraps of food to give. The mother of the pups had been abandoned by her owner and all of us guests were half-heartedly encouraged to take a puppy home.

We did. Well, we took 2 home because Audrey and Janie each fell in love with a different puppy. These dogs would become sons to Barry and me and brothers to Keith, Adam, Audrey and Jane. Carmel and Cracker. Carmel because we had just visited Carmel, California and Cracker because Jane loved the name.

Cracker was dark brown and Carmel was golden. They had lots of Lab in them, and probably some Shepherd, too. Cracker was a bit wild and independent, just like Chippy… but he was a lover, too. Actually, Cracker was a genius. He is the only dog ever that our local Invisible Fence installer knew who figured out how to sabotage the system. Cracker would sit a few feet from the invisible fence and “take” the little electrical charge, a little at a time… day after day after day… until the batteries were dead. Then he would bolt from our yard and go have himself one helluva good time. He had “friends” on the outside. Rich friends. One afternoon when I came home from school and Cracker was gone, I got a call from a woman who lived a couple of miles away… in a mini-mansion overlooking the bay. Yep. Cracker was sleeping in her kitchen with his Lab friend. Carmel was the greatest lover of all time. He wanted nothing but hugs and kisses and back-scratching and love. Cracker would live to be 13 and Carmel 14… wonderful, happy lives full of love and laughter… even after all our kids were grown-up and grandchildren had begun to arrive. I cried an ocean on the days these guys died. My heart was broken beyond repair.

I would never have another dog.

Then one day as Barry and I were driving home from visiting Audrey in New York City, we got a call from Janie about a Lab that wasn’t even born yet… somewhere in Pennsylvania… and all I could say was, “NO. I can’t go through the pain again. NO.” Jane was living at home at that time, and I knew that this new dog would move in with us and melt my hardened heart. I wanted a hard heart with no pain.

That wouldn’t happen. My hard heart, that is. Jane would bring home a little teeny black Lab female, the runt of the litter… and one look later, I was in love.

Ryder. My beautiful little granddaughter. Not too long afterward, Jane would make me fall in love with another dog, too… Bismarck. Bismarck came with the man who would become Jane’s husband, now ex-husband.

Jane has told the story of Bismarck… how he went from being the sweetest, most beautiful, most loving, most healthy, most gentle, calm and engaging and endearing guy… to being diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Lymphoma on June 1, 2007. He was only 5 years old. There is something about losing a dog at 13 or 14 or 15… but 5? My heart was ripped from my chest that day. I don’t honestly know how any of us survived that sadness, that tragedy of Bismarck’s sickness and his dying. I still see him romping and playing and ball-catching and loving and caring and being as close to human as any dog can possibly be. He was far, far too young to die.

And this brings me to Luke Robinson and Malcolm, Murphy and Hudson. 2 Dogs 2000 Miles. A journey of love covering 2,400 miles, on foot, from Austin, TX to Boston, MA to raise awareness of canine cancer and its similarities to human cancer. The journey began in March 2008, a man and his dogs walking from town to town and sharing their story and meeting others who, too, had lost their pets. The journey itself was inspired by the loss of Malcolm, one of Luke’s Great Pyrenees, to osteosarcoma in 2006. This historic journey is one of celebration, remembrance, thanksgiving and reflection… and an inauguration of a new vision, 2 Million Dogs – Partners for a New Hope in Cancer Research.
Research is needed to find ways to eradicate cancer in both people and pets… and to end the suffering and heartache that goes with a cancer diagnosis.

I had the great honor of meeting Luke Robinson… with Murphy and Hudson… at the Grand Opening of the South Kingstown, RI Dog Park this past Sunday, May 2. Jane, Brian and Barry were there, too.

I have been following their journey on Twitter since the very beginning and Jane and I have been awaiting their arrival in Boston. We wanted to be part of the great celebration of friendships and celebration of Luke’s heartfelt journey. But we got the chance right here in our home state of Rhode Island. We laughed and talked with Luke and rustled a bit with his great big Fuzzybutts Murphy and Hudson. I felt I was in the presence of a hero. A modern-day hero whose cause is bigger than himself… bigger than all of us. It is LIFE. It is about LIFE. A LIFELONG commitment to getting closer to the answer to cancer

I am now a Grandma to 6 dogs: Ryder, Seth, Timmy, Emmy, Odom and Tansy (Janie’s wonderful boyfriend Brian’s dog), too. Bismarck and Finnegan are romping over the Rainbow Bridge with Chippy, Cracker and Carmel. I love these dogs. I watch my grandchildren loving these dogs. I know the bonds of love, faithfulness, care, peace, friendship, companionship and happiness that dogs bring to our human lives. The day my Mom and Dad stopped at that Country Store in New Hampshire to have us pick out our puppy was a life-changing day for me. I was blessed that day with a lifetime of joy. I just want that joy to be naturally long and healthy…

Shaking Luke’s hand is most definitely one thing I will put on my List of 57 in 52.

Because Luke’s hands and his feet, along with the paws of Hudson and Murphy, are doing something real to heal hearts.

Boston, here they come!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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8 Comments

  1. 5.5.10
    Jane said:

    Finding out at the last minute that Luke, Hudson and Murphy were going to be there, so close to our home, this past weekend was absolutely the work of Bismarck. I felt a piece of him with me as I hugged those big Fuzzybutts! Thank you for instilling in me the love of dogs. Losing them is beyond words horrible, but loving them… well, there’s nothing like it. XXOO

  2. 5.5.10
    Connie said:

    No one who doesn’t love animals as we do can understand the pain one goes through when beloved pets, such integral parts of the family, die. Is such profound pain worth it? Definitely.

  3. 5.5.10
    Christine said:

    Beautiful writing Sharon, my life is all about protecting animals, my passion. I know the pain is unbearable when a furry family member enters the Rainbow bridge. But without the pain, you would not have felt the love.
    I know Rainbow Bridge exists. In 2000 my sisters house was struck by lightning, it was a quick storm but very sever, only her dogs were home, the lightning hit in a way that started a fire and surrounded the house so fast. We lost all three dogs, Bailey, Brittany and Buffy. I was standing outside with the house still smoldering, the hoses still all over the yard and street, firetrucks everywhere, and something drew me to the sky and the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen was exactly over the house. I knew it was a sign.
    I knew about the 2000 miles, but was not aware they were here.
    Maybe I will see you at the Main Street Stroll.
    Take Care, Chris

  4. 5.6.10
    Connie said:

    Every day, I ask St. Francis to watch over my girls, Shim and Reine. They are waiting for me over the rainbow bridge, keeping a spot for me in heaven. I know it.

  5. 5.7.10
    Erin said:

    What a great story about how much we can love dogs. I know I love mine!

  6. 5.9.10
    Nancy said:

    What a great story Sharon. It sure does make me miss our golden retiever though. They really do become a very true part of our families.

  7. 5.10.10
    Chrissy said:

    Awwww! Beautiful post, as always! XOXOX

  8. 5.10.10
    Chrissy said:

    Happy Mother’s Day, btw!

Comments are closed.