Miles

This is Miles. He's 9. We almost lost him the other day when he swallowed a corn cob. I had to bring him in for emergency surgery where they cut open his belly and intestine and pulled the cob out. I've lost a lot of sleep the last few days and have been reflecting on how Miles has affected my life and why I love him so much even though he's caused me so much distress and conflict over the years.

Miles became my pet by accident. I adopted him with my two roommates in Boston - (Alex Maws and Surf del Mar) at a time when the three of us thought we'd be living in the same apartment for many years to come and could share the responsibility of taking care of him. Within six months, that situation dissolved and I became the sole caretaker of Miles. that coincided with me meeting, falling in love with, and moving in with the woman who is now my wife.

Miles has a strong, domineering personality; he's 1/2 Border Collie and 1/2 Rottweiller. This makes him hyper AND neurotic. To say it was rough between him and Rebecca when we all moved in together is putting it mildly. Miles was jealous, territorial and obstinate. the tension built for a year and a half and culminated in Miles biting Rebecca harshly on the hand at 2am on September 11, 2001.

Had it not been for the despair and fear that descended on the nation the next day, we may have used that incident as an opportunity to work out the relationship problems and find a way to co-exist more peaceably. That never happened, and it took us another eight years to get serious about the situation and hire a dog trainer to help us through it.

It's not always rocky with Miles. He tries really hard most of the time to be good. and we've been very good to him. He's travelled all over New England (and the country) with us, hiking and camping in The Green Mountains, The White Mountains, The Adirondacks, The Berkshires, The Holyoke Range, and most often when we lived in Boston, The Blue Hills and the Fells.


He used to be fairly personable with other dogs, and we had a lively community in Cambridge around the dog park we went to, attending special play dates, dog birthday parties, and once, even an Oscars Poker Game. the dogs weren't invited, but the scene was definitely reminiscent of this:

By the way, I won.






But when we had our daughter Lily and moved to Western MA, everything changed again for the worse. Miles became more anxious and more protective than ever. He attacked two neighborhood dogs - luckily not doing any real damage to either - and became increasingly aggressive with Rebecca and I around the house. He would steal Lily's toys, guard them under the bed or table and often chew them up. It's been clear he loves Lily and would never think of hurting her. He does it to spite us.

And yet, I love him. The early months when he brought him home were difficult for me. I was unemployed, my mother was very ill, and I was contemplating being able to stay in Boston. I would walk Miles daily through the Jamaica Plain neighborhood to Jamaica Pond where we would sit on the grass. Miles would romp after squirrels and chew on acorns, and I would write in my journal or read the paper. The distance that was building between my flat-mates and myself was easier to take with Miles around. He was such a beautiful and fun puppy - eager to learn tricks (he mastered most basic commands at six months) and always getting us tons of attention everywhere we walked. We were often beckoned into businesses along Centre Street so people could play with Miles, and we even once literally stopped traffic, while a burly construction worker and his girlfriend stopped their car in the middle of the road and hopped out to coddle the little fur ball.

I'm glad I got to write all of this down while Miles is still around. I know he's not likely to be too much longer, especially given his tastes for inedible objects. I know what a burden he's been on my wife - and often on me - over the years, but I can't imagine our house without him. Even over the last couple days while he was still in the hospital, our home was so empty without his presence. Sad and haunted. The weather has been beautiful but it was hard for me to enjoy it knowing he was in a kennel probably experiencing the worst pain he's ever had.

I'm gonna go give him a hug.