We got Jed in Idaho when one of our children's teachers needed a new home for her dog. She was moving into an apartment, I believe, and it wasn't a good space for a big dog. We had lost our previous wonderful dog, Annie, about two years prior when she laid down in the yard one afternoon and just died. It was really traumatic. Turned out she had a growth on one of her heart valves, and, at that exact moment, it had grown large enough to obstruct the rhythmic beating of her heart, and she couldn't live anymore. We really missed her, and when the opportunity to get another dog--a grown, potty-trained one--came into our lives, we grabbed it up.
We were very blessed to experience Jed, (he came with his name, too.) He was a Golden Retriever. And, in case you didn't know, they are the Dog of All Dogs! Whenever you see a commercial, and it has a Golden Retriever in it, the subtext of that is "This product is the very finest product your family will ever have, and you MUST get it for your family, because we have a Golden Retriever in the ad--it's a sign!"
Here is what I wrote about our dear Jedster:
When you have a dog, you really get a new member of your family--It's not just a pet. Our dog Jed was definitely just another kid in our house. He was so sad to be left home alone (or even left outside) that he'd howl and carry on like he had his paw stuck under a parked car's tire!
One day, I was substitute teaching at the middle school some of our children attended, just a few blocks from our house. Since I was the P.E. teacher that day, I was outside on the field all alone just before the students came out. As I listened to the breeze blowing gently through the eucalyptus trees that lined the playground, I suddenly realized that I could also hear Jed howling forlornly off in our backyard! Good Grief! Did he do that all day long when no one was home? Our poor neighbors...
The best, (or worst) example of how dogs are just awesome is how Jed "obeyed" us at night. We let him sleep in the house, because he loved us so much. Plus, the howling... He sometimes slept in one of the kids' rooms, or on the rug in front of the couch in the living room. We'd go off to bed, and he'd wag his tail against the floor as if to say, "Good night! I'll be a good doggy all night, here on the rug."
One morning, I woke up before my alarm rang. So, as I lay there in bed, I could hear what happened in the living room. The alarm went off. I heard Jed groan a little as he stretched and stood up. I could hear the couch frame squeak, as he stepped off onto the floor. His legs and hips creaked a little, and I heard him sigh. Then, I got out of bed, and walked around the corner into the living room. Jed looked up at me, from his cozy place on the floor and wagged his tail, and smiled his doggy smile at me as if to say, "I've been a good doggy all night! See here I am sleeping on the floor, just like you said to."
However, behind him, I could see the dent in the couch cushion where his body had been, still warm, with some golden hair stuck to it. The same color fur as the "good doggy, Jed."
The End
The idea of writing a narrative is to tell a story. You are not to simply describe your pet, or tell why you chose or love that particular pet, but you are to tell a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. It gets hard to explain to students, when they just want to tell you all about their pet, where and when they got it, what it can do, why they love it so much. But, when I can show them an example, it helps them to realize the difference between a story and just information.
Here are a few photos of the fabulous Jed.
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