Mom Remembers Paddy

An Addendum on Paddington Diggery Dinkum by Mom

Paddy, little Paddy. Over the years Jessica's older siblings grew up with dogs, but never was there a dog who gave heart and soul to them the way Paddy gave himself to Jessica. He selected her when we went to look at puppies, tiny puppies, yet too young to go home with us. When we returned a couple of weeks later, the litter owner could not remember which puppy Jessica wanted. Paddy knew. There was no doubt in his mind whatsoever! I can still see the 9-year-old Jessica sitting in the seat beside me on that ride home, Paddy settled happily on her lap squeaking his "dinky dog." An immediate bond. His world revolved around her from that moment on. When she was in school, he was under the couch, emerging only moments before his best friend would come through the door. When she went to college, he spent his time with us; but the moment she returned, he was a different dog. He smiled. He pranced. He was happy. Jessica was home.

He never weighed more than 10 lbs. but, when it came to protecting the one he loved, he was a pit bull. Part of the ritual of saying goodnight to Jessica was Dad pretending to hit her just to watch Paddington fly across the bed, growling and grabbing his hand. If the vacuum cleaner came too near her, he attacked it. And in rainy Oregon, he saved Jessica from the assault of the windshield wipers--those blades were a challenge for him, but he was determined to get them!

So here it is, 6 am the day after reading the blog about Paddington and I am still thinking about the dear little dog who is now buried just outside Jessica's window. Like Jessica, I write and weep as I remember this most unique of dog/kid relationships, a relationship that began when a tiny puppy said, "I want her!" And she was all he ever wanted, every day of his life.

Mom