Sweet Sisterly Love

My parents have two dogs, Lacy, and Sydney (a lab mix, named after our family’s love of Alias). Lacy is a Brittany Spaniel, now completely blind even though she’s only eleven years old. They are real sweeties, and Chiquita is totally in love with both of them, especially since we are living with them right now. On walks, Sydney and Lacy share a v-shaped leash and walk side-by-side, and we joke that Sydney is Lacy’s seeing-eye dog.

Every so often, Lacy will fall in the pool… I’ve heard of this happening a lot, but had never seen it first-hand. Today, I hear the splash, and look up from my reading to see Lacy swimming around in circles, unsure of where the step is, and Sydney, several years younger, frantically running around the edge of the pool trying to get to her “sister.”

When Lacy finally reaches the side of the pool (but not near the step), Sydney reaches down and tries to grab at her neck like how a mother dog carries her puppies. They do this a couple of times before Syd is able to get a good grip and then she yanks and pulls, bringing Lacy about halfway out.

By this time, I have run outside and help Sydney pull Lacy out. Sydney stays close to her, and continues to guide Lacy away from the pool and towards the safety of the grass, obviously still concerned.

It’s funny because I was just reading a little about community (more on that later), and this simple act of love and concern between two dogs really spoke to me. How often do we miss opportunities to stop and help someone up and out of distress because we’re too caught up in our lives? Something to think about anyways.

Tagged as: concern, dogs, help, love, sisters