Eddie’s Story Reminds Us How Our Pets Reflect the Best of Humanity
By Eric Mettes
Editor’s note: For those of us who have experienced the joy of sharing life with a pet, we know the profound bond that can form between humans and their furry companions. Pets are not just animals; they become integral parts of our families and communities. They have an uncanny ability to bring happiness, comfort, and even teach us valuable life lessons, often without uttering a single word. As you read about Eddie, the French Bulldog from Dexter, you may find yourself nodding along, remembering a cherished pet of your own, or simply appreciating the unique and special ways these wonderful creatures touch our lives. Eddie was one of those rare souls who managed to bring warmth and joy to everyone he encountered, leaving a colorful mark on the tapestry of life in Dexter.
At 12.00 noon Saturday the 31st of August, 2024, a dark haired, 30 lbs. furry family member, friend, neighbor and non-human being died quickly and with dignity following exactly seven years of a life very well lived. Ironically and coincidentally, Eddie was born on August the 31st of 2017. Although not a direct member of the human species, Eddie was a mammalian relative. He never became entangled in issues of species, race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, income level, age or status. Eddie simply ‘got-on-well’ with all living creatures and accepted everyone only by how they responded to him. One caveat though, Eddie had a “Napoleon Complex” and exhibited a disagreeable tendency to aggressively protect his family and friends from any other dog that weighed more than 70 lbs. that might happen to walk into Eddie’s yard.
In this manner, Eddie had many friends and hundreds of pleasant acquaintances. All who met him became immediate well-wishers. Almost everyone, excepting……those biased individuals who don’t like dogs. But this never bothered Eddie in the least or affected his opinion of them. Eddie would quietly and without fanfare ignore those mean-hearted souls he encountered. There weren’t enough hours in the day for Eddie to be bothered and inconvenienced by the petty and negatively inclined among us.
Although Eddie never held a steady wage-paying job and since guard dogs aren’t in high demand in Dexter, Eddie was always under-employed. Not surprisingly, Eddie held seeing-eye-guide-dogs in high esteem. He always said they “punched well above their weight-class.” But Eddie never shirked his duty or avoided his true calling in life: making people genuinely and uniquely happy. Eddie’s self-appointed job was to bring a smile to everyone’s face. And by anyone’s measure, he had a spectacularly successful career.
Whether exhibiting short bursts of speed, playfully growling in a menacing fashion, rough-housing with neighbor dogs or gingerly paying attention to our neighborhoods’ small children, Eddie epitomized raw power, strength and confidence but with a gentleness and self-assuredness rarely seen in members of either human or canine society(s).
As the years passed, Eddie became a common sight throughout Dexter. While he consciously strived to live an unobtrusive and low-key life, he developed an unblemished reputation and personal aura that he never had to apologize for or live down.
Eddie never compromised himself. He never had to say he was sorry or grappled with regrets. Every day he worked diligently to become exactly who he was and what he wanted to be: a warm-blooded member of our community who used his formidable powers for good, never evil.
If people can learn life lessons from dogs, Eddie proved a positive role model; a subdued and unintentional instructor in how to live with a flourish that was never forced or false. Beyond his swagger and macho bravado beat the heart of a true “gentleman.” Whether man or dog, gentlemen are few and far between in today’s world.
With Eddie’s death, the fabric of life in Dexter is a little frayed. But the memory of his life in Dexter makes the tapestry all the more colorful, vibrant and unique.
