Oh, Frank

My niece and nephew-in-law got the sad news a little more than a month ago that Frank had a serious heart condition, and would not last much longer. They took him home to love him while they could.

Yesterday morning he was having difficulties, and the veterinary ER was unable to do anything for him. He was, to my niece, her heart dog, and it is a very sad time for all of us.

Because, like so many dachshunds, Frank had back problems, his family were particularly careful about his weight. But also like so many dachshunds, Frank was a food thief par excellence. During my last visit, I dropped a piece of peanut butter toast—face down, of course—on the kitchen floor, and before I could move to pick it up, Frank, whose presence I had not even suspected, had sped in like lightning, and gobbled it down, probably without even tasting it. His speed was truly remarkable, as was his complete lack of remorse. In the course of the past year, while visiting my sister’s house, he also leapt up to steal a leftover slice of zucchini bread (or something similar) and in the process pulled down the glass top of the table, shattering it into smithereens around him. Utterly unfazed, and fortunately, unharmed, he trotted off with his prize while my sister panicked about whether he had eaten glass.

Oh, Frank.

Some of you knew Frank from my posts here, particularly from the video—which, of course, I can’t find—of him hiding under a blanket while the dog walker tried desperately to get him to come out. Here is a little Frank retrospective. He was a naughty, silly, loveable dog, and, as my nephew pointed out, made an excellent scarf when draped around the neck.

The loss of an animal is not respected by everyone, but I know my people here will understand. Dogs, too, are individual souls, irreplaceable, and with us for far too short a time. Rest well, Frank. You were beloved, and that is the best any mortal being can hope for.

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