In Memory of Gentle Ben
RIP 02/09/2014

Gentle Ben (Benny) came to me in December of 2008 at the age of four. He had come into the Rescue not long before, having been “thrown under the bus” by his original family for having done his job and killed a neighbor's cat that invaded his area of responsibility. Benny was a very dignified all black, long-haired German Shepherd Dog with the most gentle, sweet personality imaginable. Not long after he arrived here, he, Phantom and I were out for our walk, when Benny saw an approaching family with children. He initially must have thought that they were his original family coming to get him, and it was very clear that he loved his children very much by the way his tail began to wag. When they drew closer, he saw that it was not them, and the disappointment was very clear. It just broke my heart that he was so disappointed. In time, Benny reconciled himself to the fact that his original family was gone, and he adapted himself to being here with Phantom and me. He and Phantom looked forward to our daily walks together, and both met me at the door when I returned home from work, with tails wagging and a look of happy anticipation of walk time.

Benny was always such a dignified gentleman. He insisted on greeting and checking out all visitors to our home and did so with grace. Once he had checked visitors out, they were admitted with no further delay. Benny was a very quiet fellow, but would let me know of visitors with a bark that let me know his opinion of the visitor. Friends got the higher-pitched bark, but those he either didn't know or mistrusted got the bark that told them that it would be unwise to progress further without permission.

Benny was not much of a snuggler, preferring to take up position in whichever room I was in from which he could see everything that was going on. He didn't really like to be brushed with his long hair and complained constantly until I got smart and used a hair detangling spray. Then he tolerated the necessary grooming activity more easily. Post-grooming beef liver treats from Trader Joe's were always welcomed, and taken from my hand ever so gently, then inhaled. Benny did, however, like to have his face washed with a damp paper towel daily and came right over when I had one in my hand. Afterwards he got a gentle face and head massage which he seemed to relish.

After Phantom went to the Rainbow Bridge late in 2010, it became clear that Benny was having some difficulty with long walks, so we shortened them more and more. A trip to his vet resulted in a diagnosis of extreme hip dysplasia complicated by a very bad case of spondylosis in his spine. No wonder he complained about long walks! Trips upstairs in the evening began to require “Dad's Taxi” to help him up the stairs. Trips back downstairs in the morning became more and more scary for him, and I found myself backing down the stairs to be able to arrest his slide, should his rear end give way.

Acupuncture treatments didn't seem to give him much comfort, and he was unhappy with the slippery floors at Dr. Khoury's office, despite the fact that he liked her very much. His regular vet and I decided that stem cell therapy might be of value to Benny, so we took that approach. For a while there seemed to be a period of relief for Benny, but the degradation continued, even after three treatments.

Arko arrived in June of 2012. Benny accepted Arko into the pack with no issues whatsoever, even welcomed his company while I was at work. Benny still couldn't do long walks, so he, Arko and I did short walks in the yard to take care of business, then Benny went inside to rest while Arko and I did a much longer inspection tour of the parkland behind the house. Benny's walks became shorter and shorter. His vet was apologetically clear that not much more could be done to ease Benny's discomfort because of the advancing spinal disease. Benny occasionally tried to go upstairs by himself which resulted in his falling backwards down the stairs when his rear end gave out, scaring the bejabbers out of me if I happened to be at home when he tried. He finally accepted the fact that Dad's Taxi was the only thing that would get him upstairs successfully. Many nights when his spine was apparently very painful, I slept on the couch rather than have him try to come upstairs, even with Dad's Taxi.

Benny did love to be in proximity to me unless I went down to the shop in the basement. The slippery stairs were an insurmountable challenge for him, so he stayed in the family room from which he could observe the neighborhood events.

In February, 2014, Benny's spinal problems were getting more and more severe. One Friday evening, he, Arko and I were out for our evening yard patrol when Benny collapsed and was unable to rise again. I carried him to his bed and gently laid him in it. He refused food and water that night. I contacted his vet (who was out of town) by email. He had seen Benny not long before that for a regular checkup, and we were both aware that the end was coming. I carried Benny to the car for a trip to the Life Center in Leesburg. He was examined there by a vet, but we all knew that this was to be Benny's last ride. Benny's soul passed gently out of his ravaged body as he lay in my arms. Benny had been such a good crying towel when I lost Phantom four years before, and here he was being a crying towel once more as he passed out of form. I've missed Benny's gentle, sweet presence every day since his passing, but I still feel his spirit here with me.

Rest peacefully, my beloved friend. Thank you for having been my loving companion and my gentle teacher on this journey, big boy. Now you're free of the body that was so painful to you. If you choose to return in yet another body at some time in the future, you will be welcomed in with open, loving arms.