The Final Drive

This handsome Greyhound is Drive. I do not know all the details; I simply know he is gone. And, like a great many people, I am heart broken. His owner is someone who I have come to know in this crazy cyber world of ours, via Facebook. Alisha and I have never met. I don't know if I'd recognize her in a crowd. But, I do know I'm pretty torn up for her and her family.

It happened yesterday. Drive was lounging on the sofa; it may have been a stroke. I can only imagine the sense of absolute hysteria and desperation Alisha must have felt. She tried to lift Drive and get him in the car to rush him to the vet. But, he was way too big and she was way too small to do it on her own. If love had been enough to move Drive, he would have been in that office the second it happened.

Her husband raced home and they sped to the vet's, but the damage was too complete.

For LOVE, Drive, she did. And that love showed in every act of care and kindness she freely gave him. She did a great deal, by first adopting him and then daily showering him with affection. Or as the Greyhound community likes to pun, a Greyt deal. Alisha would tell you that what Drive gave her in return is beyond measure.

In the end, Alisha did the only thing she could do for her beloved boy, they took him by stretcher outside into the bright autumn afternoon...she held him in her arms on the grass, in the sun while he left her. In the end, she did the best thing an owner can do for a pet; she was there with love. His Facebook page, today, is steeped in post after post of tributes and thoughts from all of us who came to see what Drive was up to and saying. It's heartwarming to see the out-pouring of feelings.

Quite the photographer, Miss A has taken some beautiful pictures of her houndies. She's also very witty and when she wrote in Drive's voice, you could hear his droll personality so clearly. She penned the now famous Drive line, "Whut I em duin' here is," as she captioned a photo of Drive in action. Many, many times these could make me laugh out loud. But mostly, they gave me a smile and a moment of quiet when I could just rest in the beauty of a love affair between a woman and her rescue dog.

On many levels, Alisha and I are unlikely 'friends'. Our points of view are vastly different. Our world views are miles apart, as are our politics, life experiences, and ideas of Spirit. But, what we do share is being writers, a keen sense of humor, a willingness to share the important things in our life for the enjoyment of others, a strength of character when facing life challenges, and our deep love for our animal kin. I think the things that we have in common are the more important things.

Especially our love for our animals. And how we struggle to gain our equilibrium in the emptiness that follows their leaving. Especially when one as special as Drive has gone. For reasons we can't even explain, some bonds are tighter and the loss is more heart-wrenching.

So, Whot I em doin' heer is sayin' how very sorry I am for your huge loss, Alisha. Thank you for sharing Drive with us and giving us so many greyt moments of laughs, smiles, and images to remember. And, until we meet again, Drive, run free and fast.


Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka A Drive Fan
Images by Alisha Berry