Long before Argus found me, I knew his name. Argus was the ever faithful dog waiting for Odysseus to come home from his adventures. Adopted from the local shelter, the 8 week old lab mix knew I needed him when he kept staring at me from his cage. It freaked me out a bit to have a puppy stare at me. When I reluctantly picked him up, Argus wrapped his front paws around my neck, rested his head under my chin and I knew he was coming home.
Raising Argus was relatively easy for a lab puppy. His favorite toys were library books, and I was a big supporter of the library that first year. He hated being crated and was not destructive but for loaned books.
Like John Steinbeck in Travels With Charley, Argus and I drove from Cleveland to Los Angeles to pick up my sister and bring her back East. It was an amazing journey and Argus was an awesome travel partner. We camped, hiked, visited historical sites, and scoped out where we might want to live next (We picked Colorado). It was a long but memorable trip though I found it strange that many days couldn’t drive more than a few hours a day.
As years passed, I grew more tired and it was difficult to focus at work. I could never get a good night’s sleep. I also felt kind of sick all the time with low grade fevers, swollen glands and constant sinus infections. I dreaded going out with friends on weekends, wanting to just stay home and curl up with my Argus. I pushed myself to take Argus camping in the Allegheny Mountains in the summer and cross-country skiing in winter. We walked every day, even on days when I thought I was too tired to take a step. Coming home from work, I would collapse on the sofa and Argus would stand before me and bark until we headed out the door. He had friends to visit, kids to greet, and new smells to detect. On days when I was too exhausted to go very far, Argus was content to stroll only part way down the street. Argus understood and even turn around to go home as if he sensed that I wasn’t strong.
Every morning at 6:50, the alarm would go off and I lay in bed, dreading the coming day. As I tried to go back to sleep, Argus stuck his nose under my neck and literally lifted my head off the pillow. Once I was up, he followed me to make sure I was staying up and then jumped back in bed! An astute physician whom I had started seeing noticed something was amiss and referred me to a specialist. I was subsequently diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
I always knew there was something special about Argus but now I appreciated how my lab kept me going despite my physical and emotional difficulties. Intuitively, he understood what I needed by making me get out of bed each morning and urging me to walk, even if it was just a few yards. Argus’ warm body brought comfort to my aching muscles and joints. When I collapsed in tears, Argus rested his head on my lap. Holding him calmed me down. Medication and acupuncture eventually renewed my energy and I found myself walking miles with Argus. Then he began to tire quickly and rested on tree lawns more often. Yet he still insisted on going for our daily walk.
At age 12, Argus succumbed to liver cancer and it was a painful goodbye. I sometimes think his life’s purpose was to get me through a very difficult time in my life. I stayed home from work for Argus’ last three days and rarely let go of him. Our vet, who loved Argus and appreciated his special talents, came to our house to facilitate his transition to where I hope he is running endlessly through fields, chasing squirrels, and playing with his best buddies.