SO
SO A
SO A CHANCE ENCOUNTER IN NEW YORK CITY CHANGED MARTHA TICHNOR LIFE
FOREVER AS WELL AS HER DOG
MENIS.
THE JOURNALIST WAS TOLD OF A
WOMAN WHO WAS DYING OF CANCER
AND DESPERATE TO FIND A HOME
FOR HER OWN DOG.
MARTHA AGREED TO MEET CAROLE
AND HER DOG HARRY.
WHAT BEGAN AS AN ARRANGEMENT
INVOLVING BELOVED PETS SOON
BECAME A DEEP FRIENDSHIP.
WHEN HARRY MET MANY IS A STORY
OF HEARTBREAK BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY A STORY OF LOVE.
YOU ACTUALLY DIDN'T KNOW
HARRY'S OWNER CAROL, WHEN YOU
WERE APPROACHED ABOUT TAKING
HARRY YET YOU STILL TOOK THIS
ANIMAL THAT HAD A LONG LIST
OF ISSUES.
WELL, MANY NEEDED A COMPANION
AND SHE MISSED THE DOG WHO HAD
DIED.
MY PREVIOUS BULL TERRIER DOGS
SO MUCH AND IT DIDN'T SEEM SUCH
A BIG DRAWBACK BECAUSE I KNEW
WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO.
ON THE ONE HAND I WAS SIGNING
ON FOR THE ROUGH STUFF THE
DECLINE AND THEN THE DEATH
OF THIS DOG.
BUT I KNEW THAT IT WOULD GIVE
ME ANY HAPPINESS AND IT WOULD
GIVE ME HAPPINESS.
YES, THERE WERE DOWNSIDES BUT I
ENDED UP BEING SO ENRICHED BY
ALL OF THE EXPERIENCE
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS A REAL
GIFT.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST THAT HARRY
AND MINNIE WE'RE GOING TO WORK
TOGETHER.
WELL, WE WORKED AT SOCIALIZING
THEM AND THE FIRST MEETING WAS
ON THE STOOP OUTSIDE MY
BUILDING AND THE DOGS IGNORED
EACH OTHER THE SECOND TIME
HARRY CAME OVER AND WE BROUGHT
THEM IN THE APARTMENT BECAUSE
THEY HADN'T KILLED EACH OTHER
THE FIRST TIME AND SO WE TOOK
IT EASY BUT THEY REALLY STARTED
PLAYING AND ENJOYING EACH
OTHER.
I THINK THE THIRD TIME THEY MET
WOULD YOU SAY THAT THEY'RE FAST
BOND MOVIES?
THAT'S A RELATIVELY FAST BOND
TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE
,LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS AS WE
AGE AND WE GET INVOLVED IN OUR
CAREERS AND OUR PATTERNS
OF LIFE AND SO ON AND SO FORTH
WE GET HANDED WHAT I LEARNED IS
THAT IF YOU'RE WILLING TO BREAK
OUT OF THE ROUTINE AND ALLOW
SOMETHING TO ENTER IN THE WAY I
DID VERY MUCH WHEN I WAS IN
COLLEGE, YOUR LIFE CAN BE
TRANSFORMED BY IT AND IT'S IT'S
OK TO FIND FRIENDS AND TO TAKE
CHANCES AT FRIENDSHIP AND
ADVENTURE AND EXPERIENCE NO
MATTER WHEN AND IF THERE ARE
SAD PARTS.
THAT'S OK BECAUSE THERE ARE
RICH , HAPPY GOOD PARTS.
DO YOU WANT TO GUESS DO CALL IS
THIS FRIENDSHIP YOU DEVELOPED
WITH CAROLE UNEXPECTED LIKE YOU
SAID WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR NEW
FRIENDS BUT YOU HAD THIS
BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP WITH
SOMEONE YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING
TO LOSE.
HOW DID YOU.
I DON'T KNOW.
I HAVE THE STRENGTH I WOULD
HAVE THE STRENGTH TO DO THAT.
I JUST THINK I WENT ALONG FOR
THE RIDE I ENJOYED IT AND I
THINK PART OF IT WAS THE FACT
THAT CAROLE WAS STILL CAPABLE
OF BEING A FRIEND AND SHE HAD A
GREAT GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP ABOUT
HER AND I BECAME PART OF THE
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS WHO BECAME
KIND OF A SELF-SELECTING FAMILY
FOR HER AND FOR A WHILE IT WAS
JUST FUN AND I ALWAYS KNEW HOW
IT WOULD END AND THAT WOULD END
SOON.
BUT THERE WAS A LOT TO ENJOY.
I THINK I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT
LIVING WITH SOMEONE WHO'S DYING
.
YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MUST BE
LIKE.
HOW DOES ONE GO ABOUT LIVING
WHILE DYING?
IN CAROL'S CASE SHE WENT ABOUT
LIVING WHILE DYING WITH AS MUCH
LIFE AS SHE COULD FOR AS LONG
AS SHE COULD AND THAT MADE IT
EASY FOR HER FRIENDS EVEN NEW
FRIENDS LIKE ME TO ENJOY EVERY
LAST SECOND THAT I COULD WITH
HER AND AND ALSO IT WAS KIND
OF A LESSON IN HOW TO DIE.
WELL, AT FIRST I THOUGHT WELL,
I'M GOING TO MEET CAROLE ARE
THE DOGS ARE GOING TO SOCIALIZE
AND I'M GOING TO GET A DOG
RIGHT AWAY.
SHE SAID THE VERY FIRST TIME
SHE CAME OVER.
WELL, I WANT TO KEEP HARRY AS
LONG AS I CAN AND I THOUGHT
WELL OK AND IN THE END I
UNDERSTOOD THAT AND I THOUGHT
IT WAS RIGHT.
AND SO WHEN FINALLY CAME TIME
FOR HER TO SEND HIM TO ME
PERMANENTLY, IT WAS A SHOCK FOR
ME BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT SHE NO
LONGER COULD CARE FOR HIM AND
THAT SHE HAD TO GIVE UP THE
THING THAT MATTERED TO HER MOST
IN LIFE AND GET ON WITH DYING.
I REALIZED THAT I HAD RECEIVED
FROM HER HER GREATEST TREASURE
THE THINGS SHE VALUED MOST FROM
THEN ON EVERY SINGLE DAY I TOOK
MY CAMERA OUT WHEN WE WOULD GO
ON WALKS OR I WOULD TAKE
PICTURES OF HIM IN MY BED OR
THE TWO DOGS PLAYING AND I
WOULD SEND THOSE PICTURES TO
CAROLE AND SHE EMAILED ME BACK.
I LIVE FOR THESE PICTURES AND
STEPHEN PRINTED OUT ABOUT TEN
OF THEM BY TEN AND WHEN SHE WAS
FINALLY IN THE HOSPICE FOR
SEVERAL WEEKS HE PUT THEM UP AT
EYE LEVEL ALL AROUND HER ROOM
SO THAT WHEN SHE WAS PROPPED UP
A LITTLE BIT IN BED SHE COULD
SEE ALL THE PICTURES OF THE
OF THE DOGS ENJOYING EACH
OTHER.
YOU'RE A JOURNALIST.
YOU'RE A WRITER.
SO YOU OBVIOUSLY KEPT A DIARY
DURING THIS TIME.
DID YOU DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS
IS WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO
AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE OTHERS
FIND IN READING A JOURNALIST?
I SEE A STORY THERE WAS A STORY
THERE AND SO I APPROACHED
CAROLE AND THIS WAS BEFORE SHE
WENT INTO THE HOSPICE AND I
SAID HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I
TRIED TO WRITE A BOOK?
AND OF COURSE I HAD NEVER
WRITTEN A BOOK AND I HAD NO
IDEA WHETHER IT WOULD BE
PUBLISHED AND I SAID THIS IS
YOUR DEATH, YOUR DOG, YOUR
LIFE.
I WON'T DO IF YOU FEEL THAT
IT'S AN INFRINGEMENT OF YOUR
PRIVACY AND SHE KIND OF THOUGHT
FOR A MINUTE AND THEN SHE SAID
I WOULD BE HONORED IN SOME WAYS
I SAW IT AS A WAY OF GIVING HER
AND GIVING HARRY AND GIVING
MINNIE A LEGACY BECAUSE I
DIDN'T WANT THEM TO BE
FORGOTTEN ANY MORE THAN I
WANTED TO FORGET THE DETAILS IN
THE END WHEN I WAS WRITING IT
IT WAS A CHANCE FOR ME AND I
SAY THIS IN THE BOOK TO PROLONG
THE STORY IT WAS IT DIDN'T HAVE
TO END SUCH A SWEET STORY.
WELL, SPEAKING OF IT IS PRETTY