My Little Elvie Has Died
Yesterday morning, my beloved soulmate Elvie peacefully passed and I am grateful that we got to be together at that moment. Elvie was 18 years old and had lots of ills, so I had been trying to prepare myself for this for a while, but it’s still very surreal going to bed without the comforting sound of his snoring, or walking into the kitchen and not hearing the clickety-clack of his cha-cha heels as he pranced behind me, waiting for my stupid human ass to drop some deliciousness on the floor. And I read lots and lots, probably too many, articles and Reddit posts on how to deal with the loss of a dog, but nothing really gets you ready for the strange moment when you walk out of the vet’s office knowing that you’re not going where he’s going and he’s not going where you’re going. But I think we both knew it was time.
Elvie (and no, I didn’t name him after that breast pump, but I’m sure he thought it was a privilege to share a name with it) was just a pure, furry jolt of sweetness and happiness and loved getting up every morning, but he was also the strongest being (dog, human, and otherwise) I knew. He survived getting attacked by a dog ten times his size, seizures, an attempted kidnapping, living in Central Florida for three months during the month of August, and watching hours upon hours of reality TV with me. I got him when he was just a puppy, so he lived with me for most of the time that I lived in NYC. And if it wasn’t for him, I definitely would’ve holed myself up in my apartment most days. But since he had to, you know, go to the bathroom, I was forced to take him out at least three times a day, and unlike me, he loved meeting new people and mingling with strangers, so I experienced tons of unforgettable moments I would’ve never had without him. I was honored to be his sidekick.
When I started Dlisted, I wrote about Elvie from the beginning and regularly mentioned him (despite him sending me cease and desists through a side-eye, which is a legal document). Because of this, many of you have asked about him throughout the years. I was always touched by that and thank you.
And last weekend was our wonderful writer Adam’s last weekend, and two new great writers, Jean and Natasha, were supposed to start this weekend. But since I’m not able to work with them, they will start next weekend and besides birthday posts, the site will be dark until Monday. The podcast is also taking the week off. If you need me, I’ll be raising one of Elvie’s favorite things, a Pupperoni, to him. Yes, a Pupperoni. He was a connoisseur of fine cuisine like me.
Pic: Me, and fashion credit goes to Allison for making that sharp-as-fuck neckerchief for him.