Some of my final face blops from Mr. Happy!
My ex-wife, Sally, heroically adopted Augie the Doggie before I met her in 1999. Sally and I worked together, and I met Augie, if I recall correctly perhaps once or twice when she took him to work. But I REALLY first met Augie at Sally’s then home, a second floor apartment in Wallingford, Connecticut when I dated her for the first time. A much younger man with a bit more vim and vigor than today, Sally and I were watching some television in her den when I slid closer to her on the sofa and placed my arm around my date. Augie barked. And barked. And barked! He barked mercilessly. We Lol’ed a lot at it. Internally, I was disgruntled. But I was also grudgingly appreciating Augie’s protective streak. As your Mr. Smooth Unabashed correspondent attempted to kiss Ms. Sally, Augie barked even louder. As baseball games go, Augie was going to make certain I didn’t make it to the majors or even the minors. First base was all he would allow. : ) The truth is that we both thought the situation was funnier than heck and it was. That was Augie, though, he was loyal and defending Sally and it does take heroism to do so, he was all of 55 pounds and about 18 inches tall, and I was young, 5’9” and about 180 lbs! He LOVED Sally and did until the day that he expired and still does! And well he should. Sally could have purchased a dog, but she chose to rescue a canine that might otherwise be euthanized for no fault of their own, and decided to adopt a pound puppy. Anybody who adopts a pound pup is a hero in that regard. Sally would relay to me that the day she went to the pound to pick out a pup (actually an adult dog—Augie was fully grown) the story about how Augie out-cuted all the other competitors that day, thereby gaining himself a ticket off of what could have been death row for him.
We adopted a kitten, born to feral parents,
because I wanted Augie to have company and I wanted the
kitten to have a good home. I was unsure if Augie
would allow a cat into his territory. The first week was tense,
but Augie wound up accepting and tolerating a great deal from his new sis.
Bluebelle the WonderCat is still with me today,
and now resides with me and her new family member
Angel Orange the fluffball rescue kitty.
Being a pound pup we couldn’t be certain of his exact birth date, but at the time of his death he was 16 years old. And being a pound pup, his breeds were uncertain, but to a “T” anybody I’d have hazard a guess, always said Corgi and German Shepherd, and that was my take as well. He had a very friendly Shepherd face and coloration, ears which my nephew when he was a tyke referred to as ‘medium floppy’ (and NOT symmetrical), a sort of barrel physique and stubby corgi style legs. He was….. Cute as all get go! Augie suffered from a chronic condition known as Addison’s disease, in which his adrenal glands could not produce enough of their hormones on their own, so he required replacement hormones in pill form the entire time Sally and then Sally and I were part of Augie’s family. This situation caused Augie to have excessive thirst and urination, which posed problems for him at times in his life. But he was never a complainer about physical or other inconveniences.
As Sally and I grew closer, I got to know Augie well and I’ve always loved K9’s. One other, Iggie had clearly saved my life in explicit terms, and growing up and much of my adult life has been blessed by a series of K9 family members. But this is Augie’s story, so I’ll reserve tales of daring do by others for another occasion. : ) There can be no doubt that during our courtship and dating, Augie was a big part of our growing close. We would go to state parks and beaches to walk him, he developed great affection for me because I love playing with dogs actively and Augie just gobbled that up and Sally being less inclined to the rough stuff and to getting down on the floor to play with him, I began to fulfill a different role for him. But we were having a lot of fun together with Augie.
As our relationship evolved in January 2007 Sally and I moved in together in that 2nd floor Wallingford apartment, and I at that point was not working having just suffered a disability. So Augie and I were together a whole lot! I took to walking him a great deal, and because he was living on the second floor and the consequences of the Addison’s disease, I decided to paper train Augie at 11 or 12 years old, because he was having difficulties with maintaining continence in the apartment. He enjoyed being trained, and he had a few other troublesome behaviors and we worked together on them and he responded very well. We quickly became a mutual admiration society. Not to take away from Sally who was working full time then, but even Sally agreed that Augie developed a great fondness for me and developed a love and loyalty to me. Being out of work and getting bored, I walked long walks with Augie at least twice a day. This led to me having the desire to get healthy; I began jogging and even joined the YMCA doing some workouts (thanks Augie!).
Every night it became a ritual, as a trio we had “Augie Time” each night. Augie loved when I’d get down on the floor and we would be level eyeball to eyeball, and we would play and I’d pet him, and I spoiled him by stuffing piping hot hotdogs into “Kong” toys, and I would get downright silly with him each night, and he helped loosen up this stiff sob for the first time in his life in a big way. Augie acquired a stable of names: Augie, Augusto, Mr. Aug, The Augman, Augie Doggie, Augie The Doggie, Doc Magic (MD not PhD, yuk—his magic was LOVE), Magic Man, Mr. Happy, Augeroooooo were just the tip of the iceberg. And he loved them all and I loved them too. Sally was having fun with this too. Even his toys got names. He had Mr. Saucer, Mrs. Saucer, the Redbone, Mr. Blue Star, the Little Blue, The Big Blue—OMG was it silly and FUN! Augie taught me how to have fun, something I forgot about for a decade or so!
What Augie Meant To Me.
His Legacy. :)
We moved to a shoreline town and a much smaller apartment in an effort to save money, West Haven, and I took to running even more and even went vegetarian (for a second or third time in my life) motivated by the Augman! When I’d walk Augie, now 13 years old, I tried jogging with him a couple of times. He LOVED it! Pretty soon as we were walking he’d just take it upon himself to start up running and I’d be running with a 13 year old stubby legged corgi/shepherd mix down the fairly urban streets of West Haven, Connecticut. What a sight we must have been. One night I was walking particularly late with Doc Magic, and a group of kids looking for trouble and likely liquored or substanced up came charging up hollering at me as though they intended me harm, they saw Augerooooo (it WAS dark-lol) and turn-tail and ran away! (Thanks Aug!).
One night I got silly after Sally had gone to bed and made a big production of feeding the fish—Augusto loved for me to talk with and to him. So I told him it was “Fishy Time.” I showed him the fish in our tank, had him check the tank out and fed the fish, telling him how happy the fish were and then I gave him treats and had ‘bonus Augie Time!” The next night I was headed to bed, and Augie stopped me—came right in front of me, looked up at me to get my attention, walked over to the fish tank, looked at the tank, looked at me, looked at the tank and looked at me. He had already figured out “Fishy Time” loved the ritual and wanted it nightly and HE TAUGHT ME THAT FISHY TIME WAS GOING TO HAPPEN EVERY NIGHT! He was a VERY smart creature and taught me many things in this manner or similar ways.
Augie, M.D. (Doctor of Magic) was a man of peace, an
indiscriminate lover of all.
He'd blop anybody anywhere anytime. :) <3
I went through a severe period of despondency and depression during our year in West Haven. One night was particularly difficult, and I was seated on our sofa head hung, extremely sad and self-absorbed. Augie was already older and having some problems with his legs (aside from the fact that they were tiny—sorry Mr. Happy, its just true-lol) and NEVER got on that sofa at that point. I was at an emotional bottom and Augie knew it. He was my constant companion and of course he knew when I was feeling good and when I was not. That night he JUMPED up on this sofa, gave me blops and jumped down to the floor. I was so self-absorbed that I was oblivious to what he had just done, but he stared at me in such a way as to get my attention and when our eyes met he looked at me and wagged his tail. He was proud that he had broken through to me and he knew it. He taught me that I was being oblivious to others and that I needed to respond to those around me with this ingenious thing that he did that night. I cried and laughed with him and he was extremely happy and proud of himself, and came over and SAT for some mellow petting something he rarely was inclined to. It was a lifesaving move on his part; he gave me a clear message and changed my direction that night in particular although he always did what he could to help.
Medium Floppy Ears is how my nephew Seneca described them!
I was so happy with Augie and motivated by our relationship that I decided that maybe I might consider becoming a dog trainer; I had a dog trainer friend who encouraged me. I was advised by several trainers to take Augie through a beginners’ obedience course to see if dog training was for me. Michelle Douglas, a professional dog trainer, as a public service offers courses in a neighboring town for their Recreation Department at vastly reduced fees compared to lessons at her practice or at other private practices. So at 13 Augie became Michelle’s oldest beginner! Sally and I took Augie through the course for about 10 weeks and it was a blast. Augie did great and it was fun galore. We’d take Augie to parks and beaches to practice his lessons and he learned fast and well. Michelle went on to become the President of the American Professional Dog Trainer’s Association, and it was my privilege to recently write a letter of recommendation for her, and I hope she takes up that position once again!
Augie and Me :)
A coupla Augie stories. I took him for a walk in the fall at a state park full of fallen leaves. The Augman pulled and pulled on his leash insisting that I follow him to a pile of leaves. He dug into the leaves and pulled something big outa there! It was a bone! Good sniffer Aug! But it wasn’t just any kind of bone. It sure looked like a human spinal column to me! Befuddled and confused, I got the bone outa Augie’s grasp and kicked the bone as far as I could and loaded Augie into the car and went home. I thought. And I thought. I couldn’t get that bone off my mind. I finally decided that it just might be human remains and I told Sally about it and went back to the park without Augie this time. In due course I found the bone, packaged it up and took it home. Sally checked it out and we just couldn’t be sure. We called in her brother, Don, and he confirmed our suspicions that it appeared most likely to be an old swine spine from a pig roast in days gone by. Phew! Thanks for the scare Aug! LOL! <3
We moved back to a house in Wallingford in 2009, where for the first time Aug had his own fenced in back yard, and shortly after Thanksgiving that year Augie Doggie had the best day a dog ever had! It started with Sally and me in the back yard taking some pictures of a ramshackle shed that I was planning to renovate, and I and Sally took a host of pictures of the shed. It wasn’t until we went into the house and blew the pictures up on the computer that we saw that Augie had snuck into all the photos! With a big sh_t eatin’ grin on that medium floppy mug of his! As if that weren’t enough, I went back out into the yard to take some measurements of the shed, and I looked two yards over, and there 14 year old Augusto was, grinnin’ at me from half a block away. The old geezer had escaped his back yard! I hollered in to Sally to get the leash and I dashed down the street and into the neighbor’s back yard. Augie put up no resistance, merely looked up at me with a sly smile, and came willingly back to his beloved back yard.
But THAT is just the tip of the iceberg of Augie’s finest day. I was downstairs entertaining two formerly feral cats we were caring for, when I heard a ruckus upstairs. Augie’s nails on the hardwood floor and the kitchen floor and Sally’s feet could be heard from the basement and Sally yelling “AUGIE, STOP! AUGIE! BAD DOG! STOP, AUGIE, STOP!!!” Clippety clop, stomp, stomp stomp! Our house was basically one big circle and I could hear that Sally was chasing down the Augman in a circle, or actually several dozen circles. I admit it took me a few minutes to stop yukking it up before coming upstairs, because Sally was mad at Augie and I feared being found out that I found humor in the situation. Lol. When I came up, Sally was in the kitchen looking disheveled, Augie was in another room, and I asked Sally what Augie did? Sally cried exasperatedly: “He got the turkey leg!” I couldn’t help it, I LOL’ed (so did Sally, she was a good sport about it). So I did not want Aug to down the turkey bones, so I enjoined him in the chase. I tried to kick the leg (it wasn’t a drumstick, it was an entire leg from a 25lb turkey that fed more than a dozen that weekend), but to no avail! Hollering was ineffective. Petting and gentle persuasion wasn’t gonna cut it. So I had Sally microwave a hot dog, and I took the steaming frankfurter and dangled it in front of him, but he kept going around—I dangled it and we kept jogging the circular circuit from room to room. I finally literally threw a hot dog at the dog! Augie had a whole wiener thrown at him on purpose by a human. First time in K9 history! And Augie downed that entire turkey leg on the run without putting it down once while we were pulling out all the stops to prevent him. I WAS PROUD! Worried that he’d be sick, and he was sick as a dog (sorry Aug) for 24 hours with gastrointestinal distress. But I WAS PROUD! Augie made CNN (the Canine News Network) that night and the cover of Canine Street Journal the next day, his day having been declared “THE FINEST DAY IN K9 HISTORY!”
Augie and Bluebelle,
in this action photo Augie is gnawing on his own leg.
He's much more famous for his talents with TURKEY LEGS! :)
Sally and I did break up and divorced about a year ago. But as soon as it was possible I made sure I would go to our old house and visit Aug, I took him for walks—particularly since I knew I was about to have back surgery last December, and might not be able to see him or walk him for some time. I even cut up a handicapped ramp for him to get into and out of my vehicles so he could get to go on walks with me, as his legs deteriorated.
Last week I went to the state capitol in Hartford for Humane Lobby Day, in conjunction with the state’s Humane Society, and I was actually phoning my own State Representative about animal rights legislation around the same time Augie was probably passing to the next life. I covered the trial of a man who stabbed his own dog 29 times (Princess survived and now has a loving home) as a journalist, but met some wonderful animal rights activists and I am constantly thinking of Augie in these endeavors. I’ll be at the capitol again next week to lobby for humane legislation and have a lunch and interview pending with the state’s awesome Humane Society Director and former State Representative Annie Hornish. All of this is because of Augie.
My hat is off to Sally for stepping out and making the decision to rescue a dog instead of buying one.
I’m convinced more than ever that I am a spiritual being having a temporary human experience. AND that dogs are the EXACT SAME SPIRITUAL BEINGS just happening to have temporary canine experiences instead.
And Doc Magic? What on earth can I say. I LOVE YOU MAN! And it took you to teach me that LOVING is what I do. Thank you, sir. Bless you. We’ll be reunited in due time my brother. And know that I’ll never be able to repay you for the gifts you’ve given me. And I promise to always tell the story of Augie’s awesome Thanksgiving weekend day! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I'm certain one of Augie's favorite causes was the Humane Society of the United States. Augie and I encourage donations or whatever help you can lend. <3
humanesociety.org/
So many have been touched by Augie's passing and so many have mentioned, are and have been reassured by the Rainbow Bridge Poem and website that I'm adding this link to this eulogy on March 24, 2012:
http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
