Daily Cookie

The three year anniversary of the death of our dog Griffin just passed.  On July 9, 2005, our dog Griffin was killed.  He was our first dog and brought us joy every single day.  Mike got him for me after we saw the movie As Good As It Gets starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Verdell the Brussels Griffon Terrier.  I fell in love right then and there and actually cried that I “needed” this dog.  So for my 30th birthday, Mike presented me with the bestest gift ever.  He gave me peace, love and hope.  

Griffin was a spit fire right from the start.  Smart as hell, easy to train, loyal and lovable, yet had his moments and so many idiosyncrasies.  He loved to eat the Spanish moss out of our potted plants, he loved to chew, he was so melodramatic and went into a complete coughing/sneezing/clearing his throat tantrum when he didn’t get his way and he was very picky about who he liked and who he disliked.  He loved Mike, he loved me (although I was definitely second to Mike), and he loved my parents.   He was their Grand Dog and they treated him like a King.    

He did not like kids. . .at all, he did not like our cleaning lady, and he basically did not like anyone else who came between us and him.  And very like someone we know, he was high maintenance by choice.  He was a happy pup that lived quite a life.  Summers on Cape Cod, an apartment on the river in Back Bay, designer duds and private daycare service.  

When Griffin was killed I wanted to get something to remember him.  We did not get the chance to do a proper burial or anything so I really needed something that I could visit from time to time.  We decided on a rosebush that we could plant in our yard and visit as much or as little as we wanted.

We finally found the right bush,  although anyone else who saw it would not agree with us.  This bush had only a few forgotten buds on it, the leaves looked like they had been eaten by bugs and the entire thing resembled Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.  We bought it anyway. 

I watered, fertilized, and talked to the Griffy Bush every day. On occasion it would appear to be doing better, but it never fully settled in to its new surroundings.  It really was depressing.  I found that because of this, I only grew more sad when going out back to visit “Griff”.  Result was I did not do it as much.

Grover entered our life 3 months after Griffin exited.  It took me a while to get adjusted and to fall in love with this little guy.  But as you all know, I am completely head over heels.  And he is definitely my dog.  It’s almost as if he knew. I also have finally accepted the death of my first dog and have come to peace with the entire ordeal.

This summer, we kind of thought the bush was dead, but I would not allow the landscaper to remove it when cleaning out the flower beds.  This photo was taken almost two weeks ago now.    It is our Griffy bush.  This season one perfect flower bloomed right before July 9th.

The bush still looks a bit under nourished, but it is fat with love.  We picked it out three years ago from all the other flourishing rosebushes simply because of its variety and name. 

Peace, Love and Hope.

so sad, but so heartwarming and hopeful at the same time
xoxo

Comment by mia July 13, 2008 @ 2:30 pm

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I am glad the Rosebushed has bloomed..Love ones who have passed need a special place in our hearts. I have a special plant in memeory of UJ and sometimes when it doesn’t thirve I get nervous I will forget how wonderful UJ was..This was an inspiring article and it really shows what a thoughtful and caring young lady you are..love AJ..

Comment by AJ July 14, 2008 @ 1:52 pm

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Your description of Griffin was perfect. First dog I ever loved. Idiosyncratic but loyal to a fault. I still miss him and his grandfather talks
of him often. Our second granddog is my present
love. I adore him and I think he knows it. They
both have a special place in my heart.

Comment by cm July 14, 2008 @ 2:01 pm

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