Gizelle’s Bucket List: My Life with a Very Large Dog
Lauren Fern Watt
$24.99 (our price $19.99)
OK, get out the tissues.
Memoirs of loving and losing a special companion are tear-inducing, of course,
and Lauren Fern Watt’s tale of her English Mastiff’s rich but short life is
right up there with Marley & Me in that regard. But there is a lot of
laughter, too, and a great deal of empathy for this young woman’s foray into
adulthood, with all of its awful pitfalls. She was fortunate to have an
enormous companion by her side during those dicey days sliding from teens to
twenties, and from school to the workplace.
As a puppy, Gizelle (named
after Princess Giselle in Enchanted) was obviously bound for greatness, with
paws the size of baseball gloves, but just how large she grew was still awe
inspiring. And like the Great Dane in The Ugly Dachshund, Gizelle seemed
oblivious to her giant size:
She was our resident bulldozer, spilling coffee and knocking over frames with her tail. And if my sister and I were snuggled on the small two-person love seat in the living room watching a movie, Gizelle was blind to the fact there wasn’t space for her, too. She would always make room for herself, stealthily placing one paw up and then another paw, then a graceful launch of 160-something pounds of her and finally a dainty landing into our laps. . . . She wore a smile, her mouth open as she panted, as if she thought: They do not even know I am here.
Lauren Watt was brought up
in a suburb of Nashville, in a family that was constantly sidelined by her
mother’s addiction to drugs and alcohol. Growing up with an addict kept Lauren
on edge, never sure what to expect. But it was her mother’s love of dogs combined
with her impulsive nature, even when sober, that resulted in Lauren finding
Gizelle. With two dogs already in the household, Lauren chose to lie to her
father about the sudden appearance of a robust puppy. She told him the puppy
was a lab mix and just a foster, not a permanent addition. “Is it me, or is she
growing kind of fast?” he asked, but accepted his daughter’s word. Of course,
he discovers the truth, but by then he had witnessed the bond between his
daughter and the rapidly growing pup, and after a mild scolding, agreed to help
take care of Gizelle while Lauren was in college.
Taking care of Lauren’s
mother, however, proved too much for everyone. Rehab never seemed to hold for
long. Briefly, the mother she loved would return and life would seem perfect.
But before long, the addiction took hold. And returning home from college,
Lauren again found her mother undone. It seemed to be a last straw for her. She
packed up Gizelle and left Nashville, determined to find her way someplace
grittier, livelier, and more cosmopolitan, and away from the constant tension
of home. She moved to Manhattan.
Just as Giselle, the
princess in Enchanted, pranced
through Central Park, so it seems fitting that her canine doppelganger should
also romp through the City. But Gizelle the 180-pound muscle-bound creature,
who startled pedestrians and drew repeatedly ridiculous comments (that’s a
T-rex, not a dog!) was frightened of the city noises, and cowered every time
she heard a horn or saw even something as innocuous as a balloon on the
sidewalk. And the only apartment Lauren was able to find that could house a
super-size dog and not cost a small fortune was right smack in Times Square.
Thus, she nicknamed their new home Times Scare, and struggled to find her own
footing while reassuring her intimidated dog that nothing would hurt her.
(Managing the bathroom habits of a giant dog in a city was equally challenging
and particularly humorous.) Gradually, both Lauren and Gizelle learned to love
the City. New friends are made, good jobs are found. So long as Lauren ignores
her slowly dissolving home in Tennessee, she can keep moving forward, a mastiff
by her side. When Gizelle begins to limp, Lauren can no longer hold panic at
bay.
You know the fairy tale has
to end, but it is heartening to read of the author’s personal growth as she
devotes her life to making Gizelle’s diminishing days as good as they can be,
writing the bucket list of things she feels Gizelle would enjoy: trips to New
Hampshire and Maine to jump in leaves, walk in sand, eat ice cream, and watch
the snow fall on the beach. Gizelle seems to love all of the activities Lauren
plans, but most of all, Gizelle simply loves being with her human companion.
It’s through Gizelle that Lauren herself learns about forgiveness and empathy.
So yes, keep the tissue box
handy, but as the items in Gizelle’s bucket list are ticked off, you will find
yourself inspired and humbled by Lauren’s devotion and Gizelle’s courage. We
all generally outlive our animal companions. If they manage to teach us
something before they go, that is cause for celebration, not sorrow.
