Weatherman and Doctor

Weatherman and Doctor

The coming of spring is often marked by certain occurrences. For some it is the melting of the snow and for others its growth of new leaves on the trees. At our house, the first day of spring was always the day the Bailey refused to come back inside from the backyard. He would lay on the back porch with his nose in the air inhaling everything that the new season had to offer. It always made me happy to watch Bailey on our porch. He looked so content—never wanting anything more than what today had to offer.

In the spring of 2006 Bailey began to follow Melinn around the house. He followed her everywhere she went. If she got up to get a glass of water, he was practically glued to her leg. Other than following Melinn downstairs for her morning coffee, Bailey never seemed to follow any of us too closely. As long as he knew we were nearby, he was happy. But this was different. We began to wonder what brought on such unusual behavior. A few days later we found out that Melinn was pregnant with our second child, Ivy.

Throughout the pregnancy Bailey kept on eye on Melinn. After we learned she was expecting, Bailey didn’t follow Melinn as closely as a few days earlier, yet he was always keenly aware of where she was in the house. Later that year we moved to Florida where Melinn would give birth. On Christmas Day, Bailey once again became glued to Melinn’s leg. The discomfort of being 9 months pregnant combined with having a constant shadow seemed to grate on Melinn’s nerves. The baby was not expected until January 12, 2007 and Melinn was worried about tripping over Bailey over the next 18 days. But as was often the case, Bailey knew more than we did. On the night of December 26^th Melinn went into labor.

Bailey welcomed Ivy into our family in the same way he had welcomed Elle almost two years earlier. To him, Elle and Ivy were as much his as they were ours. This time around, Bailey was not exiled to the living room. Instead, he slept in our room not too far from Ivy’s crib.

The bond that Bailey developed with Ivy was greater than that with Elle and eventually Lola. I often wonder if it is because Bailey felt included in this pregnancy every step of the way—and this time he knew exactly what to expect.

By the time Melinn got pregnant again in the fall of 2008 with our third child, Lola, Bailey had become an old pro. Once again, Bailey followed Melinn closely both before she found out she was pregnant and right before going into labor.

I often think of my Zaida (my mother’s father) saying: “This dog is part human. He is the smartest dog I have ever seen.” But it was much more than intelligence. Bailey seemed to always know when someone was sick or depressed or about to give birth. His emotions were inextricably tied to ours. He truly had a sixth sense.

As much as I miss Bailey now, I think the toughest part will be finding a new way to identify the coming of spring.