“When man gets lonely, God sends a dog.” Alphonse de Lamartine
Tomorrow, October 9th, my little dog Quint turns one. Although Quint was born one of a litter of 5, the origin of his name is actually derived from the movie JAWS.
Robert Shaw, the actor who played Quint in JAWS was a favorite of my late husband, and that movie more specifically, was one of his all-time favorites. It was on a line for the JAWS attraction at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL that Rich came up with the name of Hooper for our soon to be acquired Portuguese water dog back in December 2001.
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat!” was a favorite quote of our’s from that Blockbuster. And we’d have three during our 25 years of marriage, the last and largest a 28′ foot O’Day Sailboat.
Quint came in to the world in his own dramatic manner. Born of a stray who’d been plucked from the streets of Southern California on the day Rich was admitted to the ICU. The momma dog, who’d later be named Shasta by her foster-to-forever family gave birth to her litter in her foster home just hours after being retrieved from a local shelter.
At the time, Rich and I were dog-less. Eight months before Rich’s hospitalization we’d lost our beloved Teddy who’d succumbed to a Mast Cell Tumor. Now, while visiting Rich in ICU, I joked that the house was too quiet without Teddy and I was going to get another dog.
“No more dogs!” he said.
“You’re right. One dog won’t do. I’ll go get several dogs if you don’t get well soon,” I threatened.
As a dog-writer, I’d been vicariously following the plight of Shasta and her litter. I’d been a supporter of her fostering group called R & R Sanctuary and its founder, Joy Manley for some time. Watching the videos, photos and updates of Shasta and her pups brought me comfort through Rich’s increasingly dire prognosis. The dedication of volunteer groups like Joy’s and so many others never ceases to amaze me. Their hard work through rescue and fostering makes a difference to so many dogs and their beloved humans.
“Here, I said,” whipping out my phone to show Rich a photo of Shasta’s litter. “I’m going to adopt one of those pups.”
Rich nodded his disapproval. I understood. I knew he’d secretly wanted another Portuguese water dog and was hopeful in that moment he would get that opportunity.
Throughout the next harrowing three weeks leading up to Rich’s passing, I’d continue to watch Shasta’s progress and the additional drama that was unfolding around her litter (I will save the full story for another day). I found it a helpful and hopeful distraction. Five weeks after Rich’s death, I flew out to San Diego, CA to make good on my “threat” to get one of Shasta’s pups.
Not long after, I also joined a large Facebook support group for those who’ve been widowed. Many of the posts extoll the virtues of dogs and the value they have as companions, especially after the loss of a spouse or significant other. I’m also reminded that our pets mourn the loss of their special humans, too.
So Happy Birthday little “Q”, as I like to call him. You have made my life less lonely and brought hope to so many others.
Quint joined me on my recent road trip from Southeast Georgia to my home state of New Jersey where Rich’s ashes melded with the waters he’d grown to love, which is relayed in my previous post. Quint is a good traveler and we look forward to many more adventures together. 
Happy Saturday. Have a good weekend.
Do you have pets that’ve provided you comfort during difficult times?
