Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for a lot of things. I will get up early, send Thanksgiving Day greetings to several family members and good friends and get ready to celebrate this very special American holiday with family and with a 13-year-old Goldendoodle named Lucca.
When I sit down for dinner tomorrow, Lucca will be with me, sitting patiently at my side, hoping that I sneak her a piece of turkey. She knows I won’t do so immediately, but that eventually I will give in and offer her a small piece of turkey. Then she will saunter over to my wife where Lucca will repeat the drill. After dinner, Lucca will retreat to her favorite rug where she will listen to the conversation until she is ready to take an evening stroll and check out the neighborhood. I am thankful for Lucca. She is a family member and has earned the right to join our Thanksgiving dinner.
Lucca has been much loved since she first joined the family 13 years ago. She arrived as a puppy, an energetic 13-pound dog that was gentle from day one. She loves attention, even from complete strangers. Even at age 13, Lucca is occasionally stopped on walks by passers-by and told that she is beautiful. On occasion, Lucca responds by giving “kisses,” which are usually, but not always, welcomed.
Lucca demonstrates love and loyalty in the best possible ways. She senses If I have had a bad day and will lay down at my feet or next to my chair. She will patiently wait for me to rise and take her on a walk, immediately becoming excited and usually grabbing one of her many toys to play a Goldendoodle version of catch.
Like every Goldendoodle I have met, Lucca has a powerful nose and uses it. Walks are expeditions of discovery. She sniffs everything. When she detects the sign of another dog (you know what that sign is), she leaves her own sign for the other dog to discover on her own walk. A friend of mine who is a self-identified “dog-expert” told me that sniffing is one way that dogs communicate with each other.
Over the years, Lucca has had many adventures. Most of those have involved her running away. One might argue that we failed to train Lucca, but I disagree. Doodles of all types seem to be wanderers. She knows there is a world of scents waiting to be discovered and has seized every chance she has to seek them.
Some of Lucca’s adventures have been something less than fun for her masters. On a visit to Florida, she wandered into a pond and attracted a (fortunately) juvenile alligator that attached itself to her tail. Lucca shook off the alligator and was rescued by a neighbor who delivered her back to us for an emergency trip to the vet. (I am thankful this Thanksgiving that so far this year there have been no alligator incidents.)
Lucca also once saved my life one night when I became very seriously ill and passed out on the floor. I was alone in the house. Lucca used her tongue to wake me up. I called the skilled and resolute EMT team at the Oxford Fire Department who took me to the hospital.
Now that Lucca is 13, I know that this may be her last Thanksgiving. Despite having the best possible veterinarian, arthritis and other ailments are catching up with her. By this time next year, I may be thankful for the memories Lucca left us, but it is not next year today.
Tomorrow I will thank Lucca for being a good dog and will give her a generous serving of turkey. Later in the evening, I will encourage her to roll over on her back so I can give her a good tummy rub.
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, about a Goldendoodle named Lucca. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.
Melissa Cona says
Lucca is a beautiful and very good dog. I’m thankful for her long distance friendship. ❤️😁
John Dean says
Melissa: I just spoke to Lucca; she said she is thankful for her friendship with you, Molly, and Charlie.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wilson Dean says
What a heartwarming article. We should all look for the Luccas in our life to be thankful for
Hal De Bona says
I’m grateful to read about Lucca, particularly as I approach the day we had to let our Keeper (Golden-Catahoula mix) go beyond this life. Lucca, make sure you get an extra helping of that turkey, and anything else your heart desires. ❤️
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. We were very generous with Lucca on Thanksgiving. She is recovering today.
Hugh Panero says
Lucca sounds like a great dog. There will be 7 dogs at my house for the holiday. Including a few doodles. The alligator story is priceless.
Linda Cades says
During those long days when we were isolating at home because of Covid, our cats saved us over and over again by just being cats. When I was growing up, my family had both dogs and cats, and I love both. However, I began married adult life with a big orange tom cat we named Max. Worrying that he might be lonely without another cat to play with, we adopted Simon two years later. For the 10 years it took to finish our educations, they were our kids. We had Max for 18 years and Simon for 16 years.
Our youngest son, at about age 7, asked desperately for a dog, so we adopted Thumper, a spaniel mix who was the dog of the week in our local paper. A couple of years later, the staff member who cleaned my husband’s office brought in a litter of kittens who were old enough to adopt. My husband was immediately taken with a girl kitten and called me to suggest that we adopt her. I was worried that the dog would hurt the kitten, so I said no. About 15 minutes later, he arrived in my office with the kitten. He knew full well that the minute I saw her, I would agree to adopt her.
We named her Miss Kitty after the woman who ran the local saloon on the radio and then TV drama Gunsmoke. Thumper and Miss Kitty eyed each other carefully at first, but Miss Kitty made it clear right away who was in charge by whacking him on the nose if he got too close. We had Thumper until he was about 15. Miss Kitty, in charge until the end was with us for 22 years.
After a suitable period of mourning Miss Kitty, we adopted Lila (the world’s most beautiful girl cat) and her brother Merlin (a big black cat who has magical powers) and subsequently our son’s cat Roebling, named after the man who designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge. For us, these are dark days politically, but our cats keep us sane. They give so much and ask so little. Provide three square meals a day and a clean litter box, and they are good to go. So, if you are feeling lonely or discouraged, consider adopting a furry beast to love who will love you back.
Anne Stalfort says
What a lovely tribute. My lab, Maude, shares Luca’s wish for a piece of turkey and perhaps some pumpkin pie, this Thanksgiving.
Jan Bohn says
Dogs are such faithful companions. This year our family will celebrate with our standard poodle, Rusty (2 3/4 yrs -our 5th poodle – following Fudge, Billy, Bosco and Bingo), our daughter’s new greyhound, Lucy (2 1/2), other daughter’s standard poodle, Hudson (7), and cousin’s border terrier (9). All dogs have a good time together and all will receive turkey treats from the table, surreptitiously. We are so thankful for our many blessings and all our dogs.