Saying Good-Bye to an Old Friend

[This heartwarming story was excerpted from the Newtown Crier, Elmhurst, N.Y.]

by Thomas McKenzie, President, Newtown Civic Association

Blaze was a very good horse for the seventeen years I had him. He was obedient, willing to follow commands, gentle, friendly and loving. He liked women better than men as somewhere in his life women were kinder to him than men. He adopted me rather than my adopting him. He played up to every woman he met, especially if they had perfume on. Loving the smell he would nuzzle them and lift his front leg to have them take hold of his knee. Pawing the ground was his way of saying he wanted his "goodies" now and not later. Carrots, a salted pretzel, apples or pears, grapes, an oatmeal cookie and a life saver mint was his daily "goody" haul.

If I should have forgotten some one of these he noticed and stomped his foot in exasperation of my forgetfulness.

Music he appreciated. He would sway to waltz and rumba music.

He came down with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. He ingested or breathed in this bacteria which comes from possum droppings. He got it from grazing on grass.

After the terminal diagnosis of the veterinarian who said this came on very fast, I saw Blaze for the last time, the day before his being put down. He put his head into my chest as I cried. I saw tears come out of his eyes. I fed him, rubbed him, turned and started to walk away. He came up from behind, placed his neck over my shoulder, pulled me into his chest and clamped his teeth onto my sleeve. I rubbed his forehead and wept.

Turning I walked away behind him and having to look back for the last time, he turned his head toward me. He let out with a whinny saying no doubt, "Good bye old friend!" My tears didn't let up.

A night or two later, I had a dream. It was in Technicolor and not my usual black and white dream. I saw a beautiful green grass hill with a beautiful blue sky above.

Hearing hooves and a whinny, I looked up and there was Blaze, standing sideways, moving his head and tail up and down joyfully. Immediately every dog I ever had joined him in this cinemascope view. I woke up with a startle and breathed a sigh of relief, hoping if I'm worthy enough, to see them all someday in heaven.

A day has not gone by without my remembering some little thing he did to make me appreciate him all the more. I still cry.