Ghosts and Echoes

Jon is still close to his ex-girlfriend Lisa. She came to visit over Thanksgiving, arriving late in the day on Thanksgiving to stay overnight for Black Friday shopping the next. She brought her little dog Bailey with her.
Bailey is…well, I'm going to show my ignorance of dog breeds here. Bailey is small and fluffy, like a fox, but runs like he has some border collie in him. He's very cute, and, if I have to admit it, smarter than Oz was. He's like a hummingbird of a dog—zip, zip, etc.

Bailey visited a few times while Oz was still with us. The first time, they played, but Bailey also seemed to be caught up in fear and turf wars; he tried to bite Oz more than once. The second time, they played like old pals, and ran around the back yard over and over, swirling through bushes and weeds and grass. That's more amazing than it sounds, since Bailey is less than a year old and Oz was a) 12, b) post-leg surgery, and c) carrying around a tumor that would kill her in another month.

In any case, Bailey stayed with us while Lisa and Jon went shopping. It was an education. We played with him, and I walked him. He is, as I said, bright. I could sometimes fool Oz with a fake throw of a ball or toy. Bailey can always tell.

But there little warmth to him; he's cute, but not loving. There's also little connection. When we went for a walk, the leash stayed dead: a thing, not a lifeline. After Oz, the leash came alive when I walked Tug, Baby, Jackson, Emma…not Bailey.

I'm still learning, and I guess still looking for Oz's shadow in every dog.

Greg