The Little Dog Next Door…..

When you move into a condo you are moving into a communal space. You share common areas and the walls that define your rooms may "back up" to someone else's walls on the other side. That's a given.

Of course when you live in a single family home you live in a neighborhood - and sometimes the people next door are not exactly your best friends. We've always been lucky with our neighbors. Moving many times and owning many homes, I can't think of anyplace where we were at "war" with our neighbors. We may not have been best friends….but we got along, and often shared time together.

Here in the condo we have neighbors next door, neighbors above and neighbors below. The construction of our building somehow quiets any kind of neighbor-noise. Frankly we often think there is no one else around. We don't hear footsteps upstairs….sometimes, when I am in the kitchen I can hear a drawer close in the kitchen next door. And infrequently we hear the friendly Bassett hound downstairs howling mournfully because his owner is gone for too long. Her crate must be below our TV room because if we are sitting there and Fenway's ears perk up we know that June is sadly remonstrating from her space below us. But it's muted…..and not really a bother.

Then there are the two little dogs who live next door. Lucy and Ricky are small poodle/mix types. Very cute and small….but a bit "barky", as small dogs can be. However, the only time we ever hear them is when we are in the common area - stepping off the elevator and opening our door. They must hear us and hope that it is their mom and dad coming home. The high-pitch barking stops after a while and once we close our front door it honestly doesn't bother us at all.

Things changed on Tuesday. Little Lucy had been sick for several weeks….I'm not sure what was going wrong, but her lungs were not functioning well and the vet ran all kinds of tests. I talked briefly with her owners….and you could tell they were facing a difficult decision.

On Tuesday our neighbors had to put their dog to sleep. Dave and I have had to face this difficult decision and, for dog lovers, we know how hard it is. The four-footed family member depends on you, loves you, wants nothing more than to be with you and to please you. And so, if and when they are sick, or in pain…..they look to you to make the tough call and to give them peace. It's so hard. It's like cutting out a small piece of your heart.

It's a bit quieter in the hallway now. We still hear Ricky when we come home or go out - and maybe he's now barking for not only his owners, but also wondering where his best friend Lucy can be. No way to explain it to him….but I have to think that his furry little body is absorbing a few tears about now and providing some comfort for his owners.