Nicolas "Pickles" 1995-2010 (above)
Hershey "Bershey" 1996-2008 (below)
This picture is from the start of our journey West in the summer of 2008. For almost all of his 15 years, Nicolas seemed excited about new adventures and journeying forth.
Last Nicolas died in the living room at Gedney View. I was able to camp out in the living room and be with him last night, play a few fiddle tunes for him ending with Ashokan Farewell, and sing some gospel songs.
I met Nicolas on a farm in Wisconsin when I was 25 (working as a waiter at Rusty Pelican) and he was 8 weeks old. All his litter mates chewed on my boots and belt, but Nicolas came to lick my face. At that point, I thought I would name him Telemachus but soon realized that would require a lot of explaining and perhaps make it hard for children to say his name. He lived with me in Schaumburg as a cute, fuzzy puppy, and then he and I moved to Baltimore right after the blizzard of 96. While I worked nights as a waiter, he had lots of daytime experiences of playing with dogs in dog parks, swimming in the lakes in and near Baltimore, running through the woods, and rolling in mud, sand, and foul smelling substances. He also loved people, and I took him to and in many restaurants, bars, and shops in Baltimore (hopefully after washing him off).
When he was nearing two years old, I adopted Hershey(who was almost 1). The two played with vigor at first, and then pretty soon Nicolas mellowed out (Hershey never mellowed until her final weeks in 2008). Nicolas remained ecstatic beyond belief to see people--especially his Grandma Maxine and Poppy Ray (with whom he had lived as a puppy), but he began to lose interest in playing with dogs so frequently--though he would still play with Hershey with some vigor for a few more years from time to time. The dogs continued to take lots of hikes in Baltimore and visit restaurants--Hershey, Nicolas, and I had a weekly lunch with my sister, their Aunt Chris, in one of the restaurants of Fells Point that allows dogs. In some places, we were the only customers, and the dogs were allowed to roam free--there were at one time pictures of Nicolas with his hands on the counter.
In 1999 the dogs and I moved to Silver Spring, near Rock Creek Park, where they continued to take hikes and swim and get muddy. Then down to Alexandria, VA, where Nicolas enjoyed his friends at Walking and Wagging pet sitting services when I traveled. He and Kelly became good friends and enjoyed each other's company. In 2001 Nick got his first move across country to Monterey, California, his first experience of a fenced yard, and the beauty of the coast--he was, perhaps wisely, intimidated by the waves. One memory of that move was how excited Nicolas seemed about each new hotel room; everything seemed new and fresh to him, an attitude I hope to emulate.
Nicolas was always tolerant and sweet with children, and he remained so when Liam was born March 21, 2003. Nick, Hershey, and I drove back across the country to move to Baltimore, stopping at Grandma Maxine's in Schaumburg on the way. In Baltimore, he would meet his neighbor, Mr. Dan, be reunited with his Aunt Chris and Uncle Ted, and get to witness and befriend many of Liam's friends. He still took walks with me and Hershey around the neighborhood, but his interest in vigorous exercise had clearly diminished (as had our availability as parents of young children to take him hiking in the woods all the time). His grandma Maxine moved to Virginia, and Nicolas had a number of delightful extended stays at her mountain home, where he showed interest in roaming about.
As you see in the picture above, he remained excited about new adventure. At the age of 13, he greeted each new hotel room or park on our drive across the country to Whidbey Island as if it was the most exciting thing in the world. On Whidbey, we took him to the water a little bit and on a few hikes, but his favorite activity seemed to be hanging out in his fenced yard and barking at people passing by; over time, his vision and perhaps hearing diminished tremendously, as did his awareness of and barking at people walking by. Even though his legs bothered him, until quite recently, he seemed very happy strutting around the perimeter of the Gedney View yard. A month ago, Kelly noticed he couldn't stand up, and I helped her carry him outside; he revived and began strolling about the yard again. He stayed with me at the cottage for about 5 days last week, and I had to start helping him up again. Yesterday, back at Gedney View, he did not eat his breakfast or get up; Kelly was able to get him to drink some water; she and I carried him outside to enjoy the yard for a couple of hours and then carried him in. I set up mattresses in the living room to be present with him as he left this world some time in the night last night.
We will likely plant a tree at the Gedney View house in his memory (as we planted a pear tree for Hershey in the fall of 2008).
It is tempting here to write something of "Ask not for Whom the Bell Tolls," and recognize what a large part of my life Nicolas has been, from age 25 to 40, from liberated grad school escapee to mellower 40 year old.
There was a great article about old dogs in The Week last fall I'll present in place of a potentially tedious self-reflection.
Thank you for the support you have given Nicolas (and Hershey) and me throughout his 15 years.
