His name was Buster, but he rarely answered to that name. We called him Baggins, for some reason, starting about 1992. A tribute to the Hobbits. The registry on the adoption papers said Buster. That's why I brought it up. Not because it was something we used frequently. But that's his official name. Right. Sorry. Was his official name. I'm still not used to it. The vet said that it was common for people to use the present tense when there was somebody in their life for so long. I asked Carrie this morning if she'd seen Baggins this morning. Stupid. I would've felt worse if she hadn't taken a second to think if she had seen him. It was that look to the side at first that made me remember. The look on my face must've reminded her, too. Carrie would take Baggins running with her every morning. She decided to start running after we got married, cause she was afraid that she was gonna get fat after she hooked me. I couldn't care less what she looked like, I just loved her.

Sure, I love dogs and all, but up till that point he was Carrie’s dog. Always shaded to her side of the room, slept on her side of the bed, followed her around. He was a loyal pup. Then he got the cancer.

He was such a good alarm clock. When we were dating, I didn't have a reliable alarm clock, but Baggins would make sure nobody slept past 7. He loved walkies as a pup. A Jack Russell Terrier. I wanted a huge dog when we went to the shelter. I was kind of hoping a Golden or a Chocolate Lab would be there. No luck for me. Carrie fell in love with that dog the first second she saw him. Look people, I was just trying to keep my free milk supply going, don't give me no grief for wanting to please the lady. I wasn't real keen on the idea of a little dog, but Carrie just had to have him. I flinched. So sue me, I like to have sex with my girlfriend/fiance/wife. It wasn't until Baggins got sick that I fell for him. Sure, I love dogs and all, but up till that point he was Carrie's dog. Always shaded to her side of the room, slept on her side of the bed, followed her around. He was a loyal pup. Then he got the cancer. Correction: then he got the cancer the first time. A lump right under his throat. I thought it was just some normal doggie disease, to be frank with you. When Carrie came back from the vet, I knew something was up. She had that thousand-yard stare to her. It was the end, she knew it. For some reason, she thought it would be too much for me to bear. It wasn't, really. I'd be getting my big dog, soon. All gravy, as far as I could tell. Then Carrie's stupid alcoholic brother had to go and break both his legs. Hello, third wheel. So now I've got a drunken motocross star and a sick dog in the house. Not even the engagement was enough to raise Carrie's spirits for long. Nursing two animals I didn't much care for made me even a little jealous. Luckily, Bags made a fine recovery from surgery in a couple of weeks. Well, if he didn't, he sure faked it well. The brother? Not so much. Six weeks into our threesome was 5 weeks and 7 days too long for me. But I noticed something in those last four weeks that I'd never paid attention to. It was about how Baggins always followed Carrie around. I naturally assumed that he was following her because he loved her so. And it was true, he did. Being a dog, he didn't mind me, either, just not in that special way. Didn't bother me or nothing, that's just how it went. But with the brother in the house, and grumpy all the time, I realized that Bags wasn't shading her...he was guarding her. No matter where I was in the room, Bags was on the other side of my girl. I even did a little test with the couch one night. After a while, Carrie's brother could move around on his own with crutches, so he would try and show his independence by moving a lot. Beforehand, I told Carrie to stay right in the middle of the couch. I was gonna move around, and see what Baggins did. Our little home-brew experiment was fascinating to watch. Whenever I was on the brother's side, Bags was on the other - looking at him. When I was on the other side, Bags would hold the front, head towards the alchie. He was protecting her, and I thought it was noble, even with him coming off his cancer. When Carrie finally got to take the freeloader home, I got some quality time with my dog. Yeah, I called him my dog. While Carrie was away, we were inseparable. Not because I didn't have work to do (you work out of a truck all day, you get to take your dog with you), it was because he would not leave my side. With no mommy to protect, he had to protect daddy. After the insufferable two-weeks without my lady, it was so good to have her back. For sex-purposes, of course. None of that mushy, love crap. Just sex. Baggins went right back to keeping her safe from evil. It was tough figuring out a honeymoon that could include a dog, and yet still be romantic. Hawaii has some weird restriction. Good thing Carrie knew people. Baggins loved the place. He's...he...was...habit, sorry...a wonderful dog. He really knew when the baby was coming. For weeks he would stare at Carrie's belly. It wasn't until Carrie started her "weird summer cold" that we got word from the doctor of something my dog or EPT could've told me.

When I got back to the car, Baggins knew something was wrong. He licked me on my face as I stared at the parking ticket in the window. Maybe he knew already. Maybe he wanted to tell us, but just couldn't bring himself to speak the words. Or...maybe he was a dog.

We had such plans. It was strange, but I could tell that Bags was conflicted. He loved the idea of a baby, just like we did, but he was also afraid that he was gonna lose his spot. I know he was gonna take one for the team, though. I didn't think about it when we went to the hospital. He seemed like a member of the family, I had to bring him a long. Carrie was so underweight, for some reason. Something to do with genetics that I'll never understand. She almost died that night. When I got back to the car, Baggins knew something was wrong. He licked me on my face as I stared at the parking ticket in the window. Maybe he knew already. Maybe he wanted to tell us, but just couldn't bring himself to speak the words. Or...maybe he was a dog. Carrie stayed in the hospital for two more days as they made sure that she was gonna be alright. It was the three months of grief counseling that was the hard part. Carrie just cannot have children, and hope to live. Baggins was our child. When he got cancer last month, he had already lived a long, eventful life. The chemo was too much for him, and 13 is...what in dog years? A lot? I don't know why I've blabbered on so far. I guess I'm just trying to make some validation for why I want to start the adoption process. We're a loving couple, who've been together for 15 years, married for 12, and have a pretty good combined income. It's not to say that a dog is anything like a child, though, but I think that we are good candidates. Please consider this as you decide to move forward. Regards, Jake and Carrie Truluck

status: published
lastmod: '2006-09-07T20:46:55.000Z'
author: John Stansbury
type: page
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  similarterms: carrie baggins side knew bags gonna brother weeks back cancer long loved good love made time room slept face buster