The "Tale" of Bo, the Neighbor's Dog

Ron had to shovel a path through the deep snow, because Bo didn't have the energy to plow his way through on Sunday.

About 14 years ago, our neighbor, the orchardist and retired Boeing engineer, got this dog, which he named Bo. He acquired the dog because his old herd dog, Smokey, had become blind, and was not of any help herding the cattle on the farm. However, as a herd dog, Bo proved to be worthless - he was a very enthusiastic chaser of cows, sending them all over the place. So, Bo became the follower of the 4-wheeler, the constant companion of his owner, and a frequent visitor here (the path in the snow is similar to the one that is worn in the grass, through our back hard, across the basketball court, between the evergreens and to his warm garage bed.) Ron began going to the local grocery store (there is only 1 in town), and buying packages of soup bones, which he then bakes in the oven, and freezes, thawing one each morning for Bo. Sometimes Bo will exchange his dry bone treat (from a box) for the real thing, leaving his other bone discarded on the patio. The summer when Bo was about 3, our grandchildren were here. Bo always loved to come over and let them maul him. They discovered a heavy rubber band caught around his lower jaw, and digging into the flesh. In time, the jaw might have been amputated, had it not been discovered. Our neighbor, Don, took the dog to the vet, and he operated to dig out the rubber band. Ever after, when these grandchildren would come, they would look for the place on his jaw where the rubber band had been, feeling that their keen observation had saved his life. Over the years, Bo has become somewhat blind, so that he barks at us now when we go to our neighbor's home, but a scold reminds him that you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. He has also become very arthritic, and, although he sleeps on a heated pad, he has difficulty getting around some days. He is on a regimen of glucosamine-chondroitin-msm, which helps, just as it helps us. His time on this earth can't be very long. However, we received a real shock this morning, when a call came quite early, telling us that Bo's master had had a stroke last night after the Preston basketball victory in Pocatello. Don, his son, and three grandchildren, went to a restaurant to eat, and he quickly became ill, and died in the ambulance halfway to the hospital. We are constantly reminded that our time here is not ours to determine. Change can come very quickly. So, sometimes, as in the case of Bo, the dog, we live in expectation of death, and prepare for that eventuality. But, the shock of having a friend and neighbor unexpectedly pass from life so suddenly requires a great shift in thinking and being, and reminds us all of our mortality, and that things will not go on forever as they are today. Moral to be learned? Take care of each minute that you can. Enjoy the people in your family and around you. Mend fences where they need it. Be there for others. Follow the commandments, and say your prayers.