Johnny (or, Dog as Proof of God)
The current state of the world seems to allow us lots of time to get acquainted. So…I thought I'd share a bit of the story of Blossum’s appearance in my life. Bear in mind, there is so much more. I will get to the whole saga in good time. Here’s a snippet:
In December 2010 I met a guy named Johnny whose image to this day is embedded in my mind’s eye.
I was “dogless” at the time and in the mood for some four-legged love so Daphne and I decided to go to a prominent dog show in Los Angeles to…well, hang with some dogs. Yes, we went to ogle other people’s dogs and we were assured this show featured the best of the best.
I remember visiting a “herd” of St. Bernard puppies. Don’t recall exactly how many but it seemed a baker’s dozen of wall-to-wall Swiss rescue fur milling around in that booth. These dogs gave me a warm, happy feeling to be around their friendly exuberance.
Then… there was Johnny. (“Johnny Angel… how I love him. And I hope that someday he’ll love me…”) I spotted him from across the room and practically cut across the show ring not wanting to waste a moment. He was there with his brothers and sisters….the most perfect Basset Hound I’d ever seen. Oh, did I mention, I LOVE Basset Hounds? Johnny plopped on the floor in front of me and rolled over on his back, legs splayed open, holding his head up as he gave me a come-hither look that invited me to have my way with him. Eagerly, I took him up on his offer and proceeded to pet, stroke and cuddle to my heart’s content. If anyone even took one step toward “my” Johnny, I glared at them like a jealous lover, “mine!”
After selfishly monopolizing Johnny for more than my fair share of time, I took a few pictures of my new canine love and asked Daphne to take one of me with him. Finally, I stood up for a breather. I felt like a groupie at a rock concert, having encountered Jim Morrison or Bruce Springsteen. Johnny was just so delicious, I wanted to spoon with him on the floor of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium! In fact, I think I did! I was truly smitten.
When I caught my breath and came down to earth, I asked who his breeder was and someone directed me to Liz Leo. She had seen my shameless display of affection for her dog and just nodded and smiled. She knew how this stud muffin had affected me. As we talked, I could see he had her in his thrall too.
* * * * *
Five years ago, through a series of nothing less than divine interventions, I adopted my first dog, Blossum, a two year old female Basset Hound.
One day, after Blossum had been my very own dog for about 3 days, we were laying on a blanket in my garden, enjoying each other’s company. The sun was particularly bright that day and we grew toasty warm from its rays. I crawled on my hands and knees and reached out to hug Blossum’s soft body. Just then she plopped down and rolled over on her back, staring at me with her head held up as she writhed around, legs splayed open, offering her soft, freckled tummy to me to love. The immediate sense of déjà vu took my breath away. Could it be? No…not the scene from that very special day with Johnny so many years ago. “Do I still have the pictures of him?” I wondered, rummaging through my purse for my phone. I scrolled through years of photos, most of which should have been deleted long ago. Then…there it was! That picture of Johnny. He’s offering his tummy to me EXACTLY AS BLOSSUM JUST DID! I was dumbfounded!
At that moment, I got it. Clear as day…the threads of the fabric of this miracle. I don’t claim to know how the Universe works. Luckily, my understanding is not required for magic to occur. Each step and seeming stumble took its place in the master plan that delivered this dog into my life. Blossum, the clearest example of divine intervention I’ve yet experienced: Dog as Proof of God!
