A Lot More Than a Yellow Lab
I have to be honest, as much as I always loved both my Grampy (paternal grandfather) Jim Scott Sr., and my father, Jim Jr, sharing a name with both has brought a bit of pressure. No one ever told me I needed to accomplish big things, but seeing the tremendous work ethic of all my family members left me wanting to follow suit. Beginning in 1961 with the Old Mother Hubbard biscuit company, ultimately becoming the Wellpet group of animal nutrition brands, and now RAWZ Natural Pet Food, my family has a long history focused on premium food for pets. With that for a background, it’s probably pretty obvious that I would recognize the powerful bond between people and their four legged family members! Nonetheless, the magical bond between the whole family and our yellow lab Boomer was an incredible thing to be blessed to experience.
One would naturally assume that given my family’s long involvement with the pet nutrition business that I surely grew up with various pets, certainly a dog or a cat: Truth be told, with the three of us children involved in various extracurricular activities and my parents working crazily to support us, it wasn’t until I was about 12 that we got an amazing yellow lab! My mom probably thought that as young adults we would be a lot of help with some of the responsibilities that come with being a pet parent, but I must admit she truly shouldered the load. Boomer was born on April 5th, 1996, and after waiting for the word, my brother Andy, sister Aimee, parents and I climbed into the family mini-van to make the three hour drive to meet the pup who would immediately became the 4th Scott child. I’ll never forget the excitement of that ride; 3 kids bursting with anticipation with a cardboard box measuring about 6 sq. ft lined with a blanket that would become forever Boomer’s: After reading a fairly lengthy book about integrating a puppy into the family, my Mom carefully followed the prescribed protocol!
About halfway home with their rambunctious kids growing hungry, my parents drove through a rest area and grabbed some lunch. With the smell of French fries permeating the van, an entire new pup emerged when Boomer began his quest to steal some golden fried potatoes. Being a yellow lab, true to the mold of the motion picture star “Marley”, Boomer would earn the reputation of being an amazing dog who lost all control around food! It probably didn’t help his progress in training that due to his adorableness, with his snout getting caught in the fry container multiple times, Boomer escaped any admonishment! The joy and fun of that first day continued for many years while my siblings and I grew older along with Boomer.
Although Boomer ultimately had multiple joint problems in his legs, which seem to be very common in Labrador Retrievers, he was very healthy and puppy-like as he aged. I’ll never forget the phone call I received as a freshman in college from my parents telling me of Boomer’s cancer diagnosis. With Boomer 8 years old, hopefully having a few good years left, fortunately my parents were able to get aggressive treatment for the cancer. His amazing spirit intact, and never losing his voracious appetitive, Boomer successfully underwent Chemotherapy, going on to live past his 14th birthday! It goes without saying that these additional years were an absolute gift, but the blessings that Boomer brought us all need further explanation…
Witnessing Boomer’s rehabilitation from surgeries and battle with cancer, all the while remaining a sweet integral part of our family, was truly a gift. Later, the comfort and joy Boomer brought both my younger brother Andy and I following life-changing injuries only reaffirmed the spiritual power that a dog can have! In a 15 month period my brother became a paraplegic after he fell from a 3rd story balcony, and then I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a horrific car crash. Of course, both our lives were changed forever, but the bond between Boomer and us both grew even stronger. Andy and I spent months, first in different medical hospitals, followed by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. Once at Spaulding, Boomer was a frequent visitor, bringing joy and a sense of normalcy not just to me, but other patients as well: I tried not to be jealous that Boomer was more popular than his human!
As amazing as having our pooch visit us in the hospital was, it was upon returning home to live a totally new incarnation of life, that Boomer’s companionship became truly instrumental to living with a life changing disability! The support and encouragement both Andy and I received from our friends and family were phenomenal; having our four-legged brother gave us additional unconditional love and acceptance. It was almost as if Boomer had a PhD in Neurology and was assisting in both of our recoveries. In a wheelchair after his discharge, Andy would often use his lap as a tray table for snacks or casual meals. Amazingly, Boomer, as food crazed as any dog could be with a reputation as a food thief, never once took advantage of the situation and stole from Andy. In fact, it was quite common to see Boomer in a statuesque pose next to Andy as he ate, my brother slowly enjoying tasty food while a puddle of drool pooled on the floor!
I lived with my parents for about two and a half years following my discharge from the hospital. During this time I was in a day-rehab program at Portsmouth Regional Hospital from 8AM-2PM, four days a week. In the rehab program I made incredible gains going from a wheelchair to using a cane, then just wearing a brace, to ultimately walking on my own, which meant I could start walking Boomer alone. It had been a goal of mine to take Boomer out on my own, but because of limited left arm and leg function, had to be accompanied on walks by one of my parents; what a victory it was to just grab Boomer’s leash and go for a walk!
Andy and I have been blessed in our recoveries and now live independently. When I first moved out on my own without Boomer, something was missing. The loss of identity and social activities my TBI brought was daunting. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take care of Boomer, but after a few trial runs, we worked out a “custody arrangement”. Although struggling with my own losses and subsequent depression, my commitment to caring for Boomer as he aged, coupled with our daily routine, proved invaluable. The structure provided by his feeding schedule helped me stay organized. Remembering his feeding and walking schedule bolstered my cognition, while our daily walks served as additional physical therapy!
To be completely open and forthcoming, I have to acknowledge the immense difficulty we had in saying goodbye. After almost 6 years of living with Boomer, through some of my own dark emotional times post TBI, Boomer’s back legs failed him and even getting up off the ground became a challenge. Although saying goodbye meant losing a psycho/physical therapist, an ultimate teacher in unconditional love, a roommate and 3rd sibling, I felt an immense peaceful gratitude. In his final gift, Boomer taught me that the way to heal deep emotional loss and grief, lies in the recognition of and gratitude for the blessing that hurts so much to lose.