[IssuessBratte]

hi, emily!

your posting actually brought tears to my eyes, as i as a young boy was lucky enough to know a dog who displayed a selfless love, similar in small part to what is described here.

in 1961, (mum and dad had newly emigrated to canada in '57) i was newly born and my dad's father and mother lived at 33 oak, having come over at roughly the same time as my folks.

the grampses lived in a very old, rickety house, and mum and dad bought the plot of land next door, later to become #35, and as dad set about building our house, stayed with his parents until they and i could move into the new bungalow.

nan and grandad had a collie mix named lassie, who i am told, made it his business to be my guardian. the old house was infested with rats, and lassie, being very aware of this, would stand vigil at my crib every night, all night long, to prevent the rats from getting to me.

i just now phoned mum and dad, (still at #35, after all these years) to get the true scoop on this story, as it has become embellished over the years to include fictitious accounts of me being enwreathed by dead rats in my crib one morning, guarded by lassie.

the truth is amazing enough, as told to me just now by my mum, in that this dog stood (sat) vigil by my crib every night for months throughout the night.

in the ensuing years, i developed a bond with this dog who lived next door, lassie was my first best friend. as a young boy, i was very aware of the love that this guy held in his heart for me, and his master, my grandfather. when my grandfather died in '72, lassie died of a broken heart, as by this time he had been exiled to my aunt and uncle's farm.

i hadn't seen lassie for a couple of years, and when i visited the farm, my grandfather had just died, and at first lassie didn't recognize me. i was aware of this dog's sense of loss, at that age i was a screaming empath, and was impressed with a sense of something that will stay with me for the rest of this life.

when he did recognize me, what passed between us is a large part of who i am today. it's beyond words. he died very soon afterwards, and writing this post amounts to a trip for me to a place where lassie and i can affirm a love that is, always.

life can be so beautiful

my grandmother died recently, and i live in her condo now. she lives in a little english cottage, out of time and place, and lassie and my grandfather are there with her. my dad visited her in a dream recently, and the old dogmatic scientist that he is took much solace in this.

anyways, time to snap out of this reverie, gotta wash the dishes. thanks for drawing me in, emily:d

mark