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Memories of General Lee I had never been a dog person. After Linda and I married, we had a couple of strictly outside dogs through the years; each of them had passed from the scene, and that was that. When she thought it was time for a new dog, she hijacked me by walking into my classroom in front of all my seventh grade students with the most adorable little bundle of fur--a little tri-color Pembroke Welsh Corgi. If I had said no, my students would have mutinied. "But he has to stay outside"! Famous last words.
And so General Lee came to live with us. I built a nice pen outside, under some big shade trees, with a sturdy house and room to run. There he spent the first few months of his life. As winter came on, it was not hard to convince me to let him come in when the weather got particularly bad; pretty soon his proud heart and loving ways made it easy to move him in except when we were at work each day.
Never was there a dog like Lee. Anyone that didn't love him immediately, needed a heart transplant! Even my dad, no dog lover, was often getting caught slipping him bites of meat under the table. Our son Aaron was 6 when Lee came to us; he barely remembers not having the General around. Lee was certainly top dog. We rarely traveled without him. He visited numerous states, even Canada, and of course was the center of attention at the Civil War reenactments that we participated in. He loved camping and was never afraid of gunfire and cannon fire. Occasionally we would rise in the morning and upon missing Lee, find him sleeping with some other lonely soldier! All the members of our group loved him.
Beyond our immediate family, my brother Kevin and my mother loved him as if he were theirs. Lee knew that they were family. Humorous it was to sneak up on my mother sitting in a chair, Lee with his front paws on her lap, Mother carrying on a personal conversation with the General. Kevin rarely failed to have a treat for him. I believe that it was because of Lee that Kevin finally decided to get a dog of his own, once he saw how wonderful one could be. Lee accepted Kevin's Merlin calmly and matter-of-factly.
In his prime, he could stand on his hind legs, and spin like a top as he begged for treats. He would put out his left paw to greet you (little Lefty), and of course multiple belly rubs were his favorite. When we brought home little Stonewall Jackson (Jack), Lee never protested. He was secure in his position--he knew he was top dog, so why worry about new dogs? Poor Jack, prone to seizures, would have a "spell" and Lee would always pace nervously while we worked on Jack. We could tell he was concerned about his brother Jack. Later, when we rescued another dog, pretty Shelby, Lee accepted her just like he did Jack.
Lee loved walking--at the park, in the woods behind the house, at my parents' house, wherever. Long hikes at the numerous state parks and national forest trails were heaven to him. The great chaser of bunnies, rats, and lizards, the mighty hunter. Only once did he get close to catching one, and its squeak terrified him. He never forgot it.
He loved everyone, but more than anything, he was Mom's dog. He worshipped Linda, and she him. Nothing made him happier than being near her, and when she left, his world was not complete until he returned. When we would leave him sometimes with my brother while we were out of town, he would usually fast for 2 or 3 days until he figured out that we were not coming back for a little while. But somehow he knew that we would return.
When he was 9 the Cushing's disease hit, then kidney stones and thyroid problems. He had surgery and even underwent chemo, never complaining or crying. Where he used to leap up the porch steps all at once, he could barely get up them without help. All the doctoring helped for a while, and actually bought him another year of life. The summer and fall of 2004 were good ones, with Lee showing some signs of his old self. We enjoyed one last gorgeous Ozark autumn together. But by Thanksgiving he was obviously failing again. He bravely made it through the Battle of Prairie Grove in December, even camping out in the cold. Christmas came and he was in pain--for the first time he would cry out when petted too hard or jostled. Could he make it to his 10th birthday? In January, the last indignity on a proud old dog--canine cognitive dysfunction. Much like Alzheimer's, he no longer knew us and would snap at us when startled. This was the dog that had NEVER snapped at or bitten anyone, ever. He would pace all night and get lost in a corner. Then finally he lost control of his bowels and bladder. The February Sunday morning came when he could not get up. I called Dr. Melton who could not meet us until that afternoon. It was my mother's birthday and we bravely celebrated it with her while the old General lay on his bed, stoic to the last. We hadn't told my mother--we didn't want to spoil her birthday--but as she and Dad were leaving, we told her. Almost too sad to do it, she nevertheless went to him one last time and rubbed his belly and talked to him the way she had so many times before, telling him goodbye. She cried all the way home.
That afternoon, with great difficulty because he was hurting so, we put him in the car for his last ride. We alternately talked to him and cried all the way to town, and Linda and I lay with him on the floor of the vet's office while the sedative took effect. Gently we lifted him up on the table, and we both held him tight for the final shot. In seconds he was gone, but the last thing he ever felt was us holding him.
We wrapped him in his blanket and placed him in the box that I had lovingly built for him days before for the final ride home. It was dark when we arrived so we set him on the porch, where Aaron sat with him in the dark and said his goodbye's in the way that a 15-year-old does.
The next day we buried him under the big shade trees in the exact spot where his pen had been when he first came to live with us. Gosh, it was muddy. I read the Rainbow Bridge poem, and some other letters and emails with music playing. Linda and Merlin stood on the big rock and cried--then the heavens cried, too. Aaron, Kevin and I took one last look at the General, placed his collar and leash in the box, along with treats from Kevin, and the three of us set him in and covered him up.
Jack, Shelby, and Merlin still look for him sometimes, especially when we call his name. Sometimes at night, we think we hear his feet padding through the house, on patrol, ever alert, watching over his people.
As much as Lee loved us, we loved him more. For 10 years he taught us more about unconditional love than I thought was ever possible to learn. Lee, you have a new brother now, little Winchester, another rescued shelter dog. You would love him just like you did the others. Because of you, we know that we have to save these little dogs that God created. We now know that God created dogs to teach us how to love. Think of it! Dog is God spelled backward!
We miss you Lee, and someday we will see you at the Bridge. Have fun, and keep being a good dog until we get there. I bet you are still the top dog!! I promise, we are coming!! Jeff, Linda, and Aaron
10/19/2005 Lee, it is one of your favorite gorgeous Ozark fall days. I can just see us running up the hill behind the house. I know you have a hill there to run up, too. We miss you, little guy. Jeff 12/4/2005 Lee, we were in the Christmas parade again and the other dogs wore the clip-on antlers. One pair still had your black hair on it! The dogs loved it and the specatators did too. You were always popular in the parades. We got the tree up and it is strange not seeing you lying under it as if the tree skirt was your personal bed. Wish you could meet Remington, the foster dog we found dumped. He and Winchester are just psychotic playing freaks!! 2/6/2006 It was a year ago today that you left us and no way does it seem like a year!! I still think I see and hear you around the house. WE will have a remembrance for you tomorrow at your grave. I still have your picture by my bed and on my computer at work!! I guess for you, time doesn't mean anything, so I know to you it's just been a little while since we parted. We love you still, Lee. Keep having fun til we join you. Jeff 5/20/2006 Well, Lee, now there are 5!! We adopted Helen Keller, a blind and deaf lethal white Aussie. She is full grown and somehow managed to escape the breeders that usually destroy dogs like her when they are trying to breed certain colors. She is a sweetheart--does she ever like to play!! We love her so much. This past weekend at Norfork, many of your friends were remembering all the reenactments that you used to attend and how much they missed you being at them. The old rebel that you slept with a few year ago even asked about you!! Hope you are making new friends and having fun chasing bunnies and lizards until we get there. We still miss you, Lee, a lot! Jeff
08/28/2006 Well, Lee, we have gotten into the doggie rescue and transport business. Kevin and I drove to Texas to pick up 2 Aussies, one deaf, the other blind. Muffy was the deaf one, 8 years old abused girl, Ray was 1 6 week old blind pup. We cleaned them up, loved them for a week, then sent them to their forever homes. Muffy flew to Minnesota, Ray went by transport to Illinois. You would have probably just ignored them, but we cried when they left us, just like we did when you left us. Suumer is nearly over, fall coming on, your favorite time of year. Miss ya, old buddy, we still think of you every day. 9/30/2006. Lee, we have another foster dog. His name is Shiloh and he was rescued from a cage where he had lived nearly all of his 7 years in Tennessee. He is nearly blind,he arrived last Saturday, and we already love him. We will take him to the eye doctor next week, then find him a forever home. He is a loving, friendly dog just like you--you would have liked him. It's fall again, Lee, your favorite time. This is when we did so many of our wonderful hikes through the years. I miss doing that with you. Love ya buddy, DAD 02/10/07 Well, Lee, how things are changing here! Were you surprised when Jack showed up? I bet you 2 are having fun together! It's seems impossible that it's been 2 years since you left us for the Bridge and we still miss you terribly, but we know that we are getting closer to seeing you again. Have you seen PawPAw? He went to heaven 3 weeks ago--remember how he used to give you bites? Maybe he can do that again!!Shiloh, the foster dog, went to his forever home in Florida a month ago, so now we're down to 4--only Shelby ever knew you! WE had snow--remember how you LOVED the snow? Is there any snow at the Bridge? Keep having a great time--tell Jack and PawPaw hi for us. We love you.Dad and Mom 05/30/07 Well, Lee and Jack, it's springtime here--I remember how much you loved the spring before it got too hot--great camping weather, which you loved. In March, we took in another foster dog, little Nick, that was about to be put down at the pound. He had been abused and we loved him a lot and he became such a loving boy. Last week, a great guy name Jerry that lives in Nashville came here to adopt him and so now Nick has the greatest life in the work, just him and Jerry in that a big house in Nashville. We know you would approve. We hope you and Jack are having a great time. Have you met Arlo? that was Jerry's dog that was killed. Give PawPaw a bark for us. We love you, big guy. PS Shiloh is having a great life, too in his home in Florida. Dad
11/11/2007 Hi, Lee and Jack--we thought about you a lot lately. We have gone camping a couple of times, once at Buffalo Point, and once at Withrow Springs. Both you guys LOVED to camp! We have started walking in the woods again now that fall is here. Remember when Aaron was a little boy, Lee and you and he ran up and down the old road? Aaron is in college now and in the National Guard, so he is not home a lot anymore. All the dogs miss him.
We took in another foster, named Doc Watson, in September--a blind aussie puppy, and kept him about a month. He was a real love-bug. He has gone to his new forever home with Emma in Virginia!! We still think about you guys a lot and still keep flowers on your graves. Dad and Mom
2/16/2008 Another year has passed since both of you guys went to the Bridge. Lee, Shelby is the only dog we have now that ever even knew you. We miss both of you still. Well, another Christmas without you guys. Both of you loved Christmas because of all the people and the toys! This year we had sweet Delilah as a foster dog during Christmas. She was rescued and we kept her for 5 weeks while she had heartworm treatment. She was so very sweet and calm and loyal. Both of you guys would have loved her! She left a week ago to go to her forever home in Kansas. We sure miss her! Then a few days after Delilah left, we found a little stray puppy in town that was in danger of being hit by the school buses. We brought him home and Mom named him Jasper. He is a little love bug--reminds us a lot of Nick. Hope you guys are having a ball there at the Bridge and have met lots of other friends. I know time does not pass for you so soon (for you) we will see you. We love you guys. Mom and Dad
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