A word to send us off

One of our own left today. Hobo--a name bestowed before we ever met her--was struck by a car, life leaving her while in the arms of a good friend. She once belonged to me--and a few others. Investors, in a sense. Several years ago, a roommate adopted Hobo at an event held by the Lost Dog Foundation, a no-kill shelter worthy of every donation it receives. He brought her into a house of four dudes with four unique schedules. An environment hampered by lazy communication ("Oh you already fed her? Woops") isn't ideal for a dog with an unclear, somewhat unfortunate, past who must now adapt to an unknown home. Still, it worked out. She was the only collectively adored resident of the Hobo House. (Hobo House being the moniker given to the Arlington, VA, house we rented where exterior appearance did not suggest occupants of enviable wealth. We were working professionals in our mid-to-late twenties; aesthetics suffered.)

We eventually all disbursed--some bound for new zip codes, others across town. While plans were discussed regarding Hobo's next relocation, uncertainty enveloped her future. Arlington landlords don't always fancy dogs. A New York City apartment is just unfair. And then Andrea, Dean's then-girlfriend-now-wife, spoke up. Andrea had taken Hobo home to Charlottesville once, where her sister Elaine ignited an instant connection with the quiet, rat-killing, tail-wagging K9. Hobo became a periodic fixture at the Ribando's ever since. So when it was time for us to again find Hobo a satisfactory home, Andrea stepped up, offering Hobo her kitchen floor to slide around on; her living room to spin "take me out I gotta pee" circles; her couch and bed sheets upon which Hobo could incessantly shed that part Swiss Mountain dog/part beagle/all mutt fur. Black, white, and brown abound. Andrea and Elaine: saving the day. (A wholly supported move, given Andrea's relative superiority as a person.)

After being removed from one home and onto a stint at Lost Dog's shelter, before falling into the hands of multiple proprietors, Hobo deserved familiar faces, regularity, and love. She got each. Hobo found people who wanted to live with her even after enduring a binge on unsecured cat food that escalated into a night of milk chocolaty-diarrhea violently splattered across white floors and walls with a degree of unintentional artistic acumen Jackson Pollack couldn't begin to fathom. She had people who wanted her to be around. To smirk at her natural aloofness; to roust her from hours of couch surfing to sniff trails at Great Falls leash-free; to give her a spot in bed to steal during a late night visit to the toilet. To let her know this is where she belonged. Because if Hobo had nowhere to go, nobody to want her, then whose Taco Bell take-out would she inhale, ashamed inside Hobo Cove? Whose lawn chairs would be entwined, not unlike a mummy, in rounds of cable connected to the collar of a dog wandering in circles across the front yard? Who would abduct Truman's toys? Upon whose torso would Zero splay?


I missed Hobo knowing she was a four-hour drive away--easy to visit for a quick walk when in town. Missed her guilty, yet unrepentant, eyes. Her abrupt departure flattens my shoulders. She was the first hound I'd ever cared for that didn't live in my parents house. They taught me how to treat pets with care and discipline and, most importantly, inclusion; neglect is a dog's worst fate. Many hands ran down Hobo's back, palms full of fun and fondness, erasing any residual misfortune. Her residential life was, at times, as stable as NBC's current late night TV lineup. Thankfully, before she passed, it got fixed for good. So, tonight, Annalisa, Ben, and I swallowed a shot for Hobo--with our friends in mind--toasting to the best circumstance of Hobo's too-brief tenure: here's to Hobo finding a home among people who cared about her.

Thanks especially to Dean and Andrea for keeping Hobo in our lives while bettering hers, and theirs; to Cheek for his attention, and footing of the bill when he did; Frigm for introducing us; and Annalisa, Stock, and TVH for pitching in and sparing due affection for her.

We'll miss you~