Flossie - A tribute to a much-loved dog

Our sweet, gentle Flossie left us on Friday after bringing us six years of joy and the most uncomplicated and consistent love that only a dog can offer.

Flossie came to us from PetsInc during the September 2018 Hurricane Florence. I had gone to PetsInc to walk dogs that had been evacuated from the coast. Bringing home a dog was the last thing on my mind that afternoon.

As I was leaving my shift, I spotted her in a small pen in the office where she enthusiastically greeted visitors as they came into the building. Our eyes met, and I was drawn to her for a few belly scratches and ear rubs. I asked if I could take her for a spin around the property.

Long story short (read the full "gotcha" story here), she came home with me. She was named after the hurricane that took me to PetsInc that muggy, wet September afternoon. The sassy nickname Flossie seemed to fit her better than the stodgier sounding Florence. We didn’t know exactly how old she was, but the vet said her teeth indicated likely at least three. She had recently birthed puppies when she arrived at the shelter.

It quickly became apparent that Flossie had excellent house manners. She didn’t jump on furniture, counter surf, beg for people food, dig in the trash or even bark (well, maybe once in the middle of the night that annoyed one neighbor). When she came home for the first time, she settled in immediately like she knew she belonged here.

Flossie was a calm and steady presence in our home. She wasn’t an effusive tail wager, jumper or snuggler. She moved quietly plopping down in her favorite spots with her paws daintily crossed like the true southern lady she was. 

I called Flossie my “shop dog,” and she usually showed up early for work in my home office to claim her spot under the desk or in the morning sun puddle. Flossie kept watch there daily. Until recently before she lost her hearing, she could even sense David's car coming down the street and turning in the driveway long before I ever saw it. 

Food and walks were Flossie’s love languages. Her keen sense of hearing could pick up the rustle of the “doggie bags” clear across the house. She knew meal time by the sound of the can opener and the dig of the measuring cup into the dogfood bag. Seeing one of us pick up ear buds or slip on a jacket meant walk time. 

That quiet and steady personality meant Flossie always made it easy to take her along for a ride, a walk or an adventure. Nothing phased her. She was easy to take out for beach walks, trips to the riverwalk, rides in the convertible, people watching at Soda City, multiple quick spins daily around the block, or visits to Still Hopes. Flossie patiently let little kids rub her ears and allowed neighborhood dogs to “meet and greet” without fear or anxiety.

She chose her small circle of doggie friends wisely and enjoyed her occasional romps in the yard with Josey, Clarence and Kudzu.

Flossie was a good sport with holiday celebrations wearing bunny ears, July 4th garb, reindeer antlers, Halloween costumes and Mardi Gras beads. 

This Christmas, she even got her own visit with Santa Claus.

But just because she was a quiet behind-the-scenes kind of gal didn’t mean Flossie couldn't put on the glam when necessary. First, she became the namesake for our band, the Flossie Dog Band. She even joined us for last summer's Flossie Fest in the backyard to jam with David. Flossie’s profile graces our Flossie Dog Band logo and can be seen on t-shirts, stickers and coozies. 

Then last summer, Grace Outdoor featured our girl in their “National Dog Day” campaign. But always the genteel southern lady, she never let this fame go to her head.

Last winter, Flossie plotted an escape. Friends, neighbors and strangers banded together like a SWAT team over 24 hours to share social posts, put up flyers and search the streets. In typical laid-back Flossie style, she was found just around the corner waiting out the panic in a neighbor’s yard.

This dog was my spirit animal in that she functioned best, as I do, in a routine. We walked her around our block hundreds of times where she smelled and did her business in the exact same spot on every spin. Flossie quickly found a similar routine at our lake place watching the ducks and birds from her perch on the porch. Last summer, after her first trip on the boat, she quickly claimed her favorite spots.

Flossie’s calm eyes and sweet demeanor were always a source of peace for me. But over the past month, those calm eyes became cloudy and unfocused. Her gait became wobbly. Her hearing was almost completely gone. A couple of scary trips to the vet led us to discover she was very ill. We kept her close and comfortable for as long as seemed humane and in her best interest. But Thursday, it became clear that her earthly time with us had become too painful.

The Four Paws team treated us with the grace we needed on Friday morning to say good-bye. The absence of her presence in our home is intense. For now, the things that grounded her earthly presence will remain in their place while we learn to live without her routines, her snores, the tick-tick of toenails on the floor, her "food dances,” and her waiting at the gate when we got home.

As the great philosopher Winnie the Pooh said, “How lucky we are to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Rest easy sweet Flossie. Be whole and healthy again in the company of our beloved Dixie and Beaufort! 

* artist credit to Julie Holloway Fine Art