John D. Aguon

It's 4 AM, and I am abruptly awoken on the first night of Meg and my escape to Joshua Tree. Our temporary home for the next week is a beautiful 3-bedroom dream house owned by a friend we met just a few hours earlier. There’s not a sound to be heard except for the noise that woke me up. I followed the commotion to the living room, and there she was, lying in the dark…Ethel. 

“Who’s Ethel?” you ask. She’s a beautiful 16-year-old Golden Retriever struggling to get up from a pool of Diarrhea she just painted herself with. I’ll get back to this in a bit. But first, let me explain. This is the first time Meg and I have met Ethel. Our friend needed us to take care of her while she went to Hawaii. I was busy with work and didn't want to be 100 miles away from home, but of course, Meg convinced me. I had no desire to be dog-sitting in the middle of the desert with a dog I had just met…now lying in a puddle of poop. What. The. Fuck. I just met you, Ethel.

What if I told you showering her after the accident was the start of one of the most beautiful connections Meg and I have ever had? The week turned into 30 life-changing days spent with Ethel. We didn’t understand why she randomly came into our life. But what we did know is she made us happy. Really happy. And we’re grateful to have taken her on one last adventure.

I know. It’s funny that I’m writing about a dog I spent 30 days with, but you’d understand if you went through the “shit” we went through.