Dogs Bring Comfort Living with Sickle Cell

I thought I’d write about something that is light and fluffy as a puppy; dogs. In my mind, one of the most important things a child can have in their life (second only to good parents) is having a dog as a pet. Some parents buy a dog hoping it will help teach their child responsibility. Though this is one of the many natural byproducts of owning a dog, it should not be the primary purpose for getting one.

Numerous studies have shown that people who own dogs:
•    Have higher self-esteem;
•    Experience less loneliness and depression;
•    Have lower blood pressure and reduced stress.

Owning a dog can also:
•    Lift a person’s spirits and improve their mood;
•    Improve physical activity by taking the dog for walks or simply playing with it in the yard;
•    Reduce the number of minor health problems thus reducing the number of doctor’s appointments;
•    Help a person adjust to having a serious illness and/or the loss of a loved one;
•    Help a person feel less anxious and more safe;
•    Help create a sense of well-being within the owner’s life.

I didn’t really have too many complications from Sickle Cell until about the age nine. At that age I was hospitalized with pneumonia. Soon after that I was readmitted with a priapism. Soon after that I suffered a massive stroke that put me in a medically induced coma for twenty-days. Having experienced so much in such a short period of time, my parents saw me giving up on life. They hoped a puppy would give me something to live for.

I remember the day I came home from the hospital after my stroke. I had been hospitalized for over a month. Though I didn’t suffer any physical complications from the stroke, I was very weak and couldn’t walk for almost three weeks.

The day I came home, my parents said they were “going to the store.” I was annoyed. It was my first day home in a month and my parents were leaving to go to the store? I thought, ‘Why couldn’t my sister do that?’ When my parents returned, I was laying on the couch. My dad inched his way through the door being very obvious that he was trying to hide something inside his jacket. I could tell it was something for me but I didn’t know what.

“What do you have?” I exclaimed wide-eyed and eagerly.

“I don’t have anything,” my dad said while keeping the mystery covered with his coat.

“What is it? What is it? Let me see!” Finally my dad opened up his coat to reveal an adorable little puppy. I wanted to jump up off the couch and snatch it out of my dad’s arms, but I was so weak that I couldn’t.

Lassie, as I named her, was a Sheltie. She had brown and white hair with a white streak down the length of her nose. Lassie did exactly what my parents hoped she would do; she gave me something to live for. My parents credit that dog with saving my life. For all sixteen years of her life, Lassie slept in my room every night.

Before I turned ten years old, my family moved to a very rural area. I spent many a day going exploring with Lassie. Her favorite game was catch; she loved to catch balls in her mouth and would leap feet off the ground to do so. Though my family had other dogs before Lassie, she was the first dog that was mine and mine alone. For sixteen years she was my best friend and a faithful companion.

Dogs are unique from all other animals on Earth. They are the only one of God’s creatures that love unconditionally. We humans put conditions on our love. Sad as it is, the love of our friends, brothers, sisters, and even our parents is conditional. But a dog...they will love you no matter what. If for no other reason, a child needs to have a dog so they can learn and experience unconditional love.

Whether you hurt them intentionally or unintentionally, a dog will instantly forgive you. You can be in the happiest or foulest of moods and a dog will still want to be by your side. Whether you’re gone for five minutes or five days, your dog will be excited to see you and warmly welcome you home. If you are in physical agony or mental anguish, a dog will do all it can to comfort you. No dog personified all these things more than my dog Q-Tip.

We rescued Q from the pound in 2001; he passed away on February 5, 2013. Q-Tip was a Bichon--they look like toy poodles--and as you can guess from the name, was all white. Q-Tip was the most unique dog I have ever owned.

Originally Q-Tip belonged to my parents, but he became mine when my wife and I broke up February of 2002. For the eleven years I was privileged to have him as a companion, Q saw me through: a heart breaking divorce; a horrendous bought with depression; and more trials of life than I can recall. He was the most intelligent and compassionate dog I’ve ever known.

He was highly sensitive to the emotional needs of not only me, but anyone who came into my home and freely gave his tender love to all. He knew what I emotionally needed, when I needed it, and always gave me precisely that. There were times when I looked at his character and thought, “I pray I’ve half as devoted to Christ as Q-tip is to me.”

I believe my parents when they say Lassie saved my life. And I know without a doubt that Q-Tip blessed my life abundantly. I think every child needs a dog. Children with chronic or terminal illnesses especially need them. I love all of God’s creations; each are here for a purpose and can teach us something. But dogs, there’s something special about them. They alone are equipped to provide us with many things human beings cannot.




¶ Below is a picture of me and Q-Tip