I’m thankful for Lucca by J.E. Dean

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.