Slevin, the Perfect Boy

There are times when I feel like I have boundless energy and then there are times when I need to briefly step back and breathe. So if I have seemed quiet this is what I have been doing over the last week or two. I am still here baking and doing my thing but more quietly and reflectively.

I have been reluctant to write this post. The combination of keeping personal affairs personal, figuring out how to put so much love into words, and avoiding a flood of tears has left my paper blank. But since I have shared a fair amount of pictures of my pups over the last 12 years, it feels unsettling to let time march on without sharing a few words.

It has been a little over a week since Slevin has passed. 13.5 wonderful years old; 11 of which we spent together. We first met in 2013 at the shelter where I was volunteering. I remember the day clearly and, like most people my age, it seems like just yesterday. I was in a kennel petting a brindle dog named Timer when I noticed this fawn dog in the kennel next to his lying close to the separating wall, asking for pets. I remember turning to him and saying out loud, “OK. I will pet you.” I didn’t take him home that day but returned the following weekend, and our journey together began. What I didn’t know that day was our chance meeting was the start of a special friendship that neither of us knew we needed or expected. It is one I will miss every day.

Slevin, a rescue greyhound fresh off the track, learned to be a pet from greyhound siblings Elise and Smyth. And later when Elise and Smyth passed and Cherokee and Felix joined the family, he returned the favor by showing the new pups the ins and outs of retired life. These five sweet dogs changed my world. We were a family. We traveled together, celebrated, cried, and lived as a unit. It was a wonderful example of the unique relationships between humans and animals when they are built on love, trust, and patience.

But out of all the dogs, Slevin was special, and the bond he formed with me was strong. He was simple, like a brown dog should be. He didn’t ask for much, but what he wanted he was particular about - sunbathing, snuggles, “going”, walking slow, sniffing grass mounds, digging in the sand, baby greens,... Did I say snuggles? Of the 5 sighthounds I owned, he was the only one who would come to ask me to sit on the couch with him and he would sit as close as he could. He was sweet beyond words. Everyone loved him. When I took Felix in once for a check-up the vet exclaimed after looking at his chart, “You are Slevin’s brother. We all love Slevin!” That was Slevin; completely unassuming but unforgettable in every way. He had a quiet presence about him. 

Years ago on an evening walk with Elise, Smyth, and Slevin I looked up at the night sky and spotted Orion’s Belt. Then, when they were all young, I renamed it The Collar. The three stars represent the 3 pups. After many years apart they are together again. And together in the night sky, they continue to live their best lives.

You often wonder if your pets know how much you love them. With Slevin, I never wondered. I know he knew and I knew he loved me back. He was my soul mate. Slevin, the perfect boy, is truly missed.

xx

Stephanie

Picture 2: Slevin, Cherokee, and Felix (2023) Picture 3: Slevin, Smyth, and Elise (2015)