Friends for Life by Angela Rieck

Friends come from the most peculiar places.

Take my little Maltese dog, Gus, for instance. (The white dog in this picture.) I adopted him from the SPCA. Most little dogs are snapped up quickly in rescue. But Gus had been incarcerated at the SPCA for months.

I intended to adopt the dog in the adjacent cell named Milo. Milo was an adorable 3-year old, 10-pound poodle mix who was a perfect dog, sweet, friendly, young, happy, and playful. Gus, on the other hand, required an experienced dog owner; he was aggressive, bit anyone who he didn’t like…which was pretty much everyone, not housetrained, older, etc. I quickly fell in love with little Milo, but the head of the SPCA convinced me that Gus had limited opportunities for adoption and appealed to my expertise, my ego, my empathy, and anything else she could find to get me to take this dog.

So, I walked away with the biting, leash aggressive, dog aggressive, food aggressive, toy aggressive, man-hating, nasty, unhouse trained, snarling little white dog. I figured since he was older, at least I wouldn’t be saddled with this guy for too long. But he surprised everyone when I discovered that Gus was simply misunderstood. He is one of the sweetest, most affectionate, joyful little creatures that has ever been in my life. He loves everyone. He is one of the best gifts that I have ever received.

Little Milo was immediately adopted by a family who had never had a dog.

Like Talbot County, Key West is a small place. One day Gus and another dog got very excited when they spied each other. It was little Milo, and he and Gus snuggled like they were brothers and not fellow inmates who inhabited adjacent cells for only a week.

I became friendly with Milo’s owner, who had originally wanted to adopt Gus, but was told that Gus needed an experienced dog home.

Now whenever Gus and Milo see each other, they run toward each other at full speed and just snuggle. Gus is too old to play, and Milo understands that. So, they sit together (Gus is the white dog, Milo the black and gray-sprinkled dog) just quietly enjoying each other’s company.

And I imagine that they are grateful for their new lives, each in the perfect home, comparing times in the joint, and celebrating how they have gone from abandoned to adored.

But I know better. Gus and Milo are just living in the moment. They are enjoying the sunshine, the ocean breezes, the briny smells, the bright green grass, and watching other dogs play in the dog park.

They are simply sharing this moment with their best friend.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.