TO ALL THE DOGS I’VE LOVED BEFORE BY LORI WALSH

All this would be easier if Pippin had lived.

Through the ups and downs of this year, one thing has been clear — I miss my dog.

Pippin “Lightning Dog” Walsh died in 2019 after 17 years of boundless living. I believe she would have taken to the disruption of the pandemic with verve. She loved it when we stayed home. She was skilled at cheering us up and calming us down.

Pippin wasn’t a trained service dog. She was a companion. Yet I relied upon her to ground me in the beautiful reality of ordinary days. Because of her, I ate breakfast on time. I walked. Whenever I was anxious, Pippin made me feel safe. Surely she would have risen to the occasion of 2020.

Growing up. I remember playing in the snow with dogs, and I remember weeping at the loss of dogs hit by cars or dogs shot by neighbors for stealing chickens. But my memories of curling up and reading with dogs are from my adulthood in the city, not my rural childhood. So when given the opportunity to produce a story about dogs for “Dakota Life,” I decided to search for stories of city dogs — how they live and how they work. I didn’t have to look far.

SDPB videographer Jordyn Henderson and I sat with Jill Baker in her front yard to get to know her dog, Violet. We hung out with Susan Hoffman and her dog, Henry, in a rooftop garden in downtown Sioux Falls. We watched service-dog Violet calm Jill when our questions made Jill a bit anxious. We stood poolside to watch Henry leap into the air and splash into the water during his weekly dock diving sessions. I can’t speak for Jordyn, but I drove home from every interview smiling and content. Continued on the next page.

Lori, Shannon, and Lori’s brother Wes, 1972. We once tried to hide a puppy in the garage so no one could take her from us.

And so I say thank you. To all the dogs who have loved me throughout this life, whether you were my dog or someone else’s. Rex. Shannon. Deacon. Shultz. Chivas. Major. Foley. Pippin. I remember your wet noses and your soulful eyes. From you I learned to settle down, to be patient, to be unabashedly joyful, to be unconditionally loved.

And even though I’m not giving my heart to a new companion yet, I know the next perfect dog is out there, waiting for me to be ready. And I know whoever she is, she is a very good dog.

Pippin reclines in the grass in Sioux Falls. Photo by Jane Walsh

Henry leaps into the water at Paw Pet Resort in Sioux Falls. (photo by Jordyn Henderson)

Violet the service dog lies on Jill Baker’s feet to soothe her. (photo by Lori Walsh)