Who would have known that the quiet nonagenarian in his 90s, resting on his walker in the shade of the dog park’s tree next to his favorite bench was so amazing? I often chatted with Stan Fleischman and his human friends Bob, Alan, and Fernie. The men became dog-walking buddies twenty-five years ago.
After Stan’s could no longer drive and his last dog passed, his friends drove him to the dog park. He was a single man and dogs were his life’s love. Everyone smiled as Stan slowly counted dog treats as he handed them to excited furry canines. He did not want the dogs to become overweight.
He left an amazing legacy as a star wrestler and with his involvement in Olympic Wrestling, discovering oil fields which still produce oil, a tennis player, drummer, and an artist. But what he wanted to be remembered for his love of dogs and the friends that dogs brought him.
“You might say our dogs introduced us to our best friends!” said Bob, “At the park as our dogs played together, we talked with their owners and in no time, everyone was friends. When we learned that Stan lived alone with his dog, we welcomed him into our families. He was invited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other family functions. He was kind, loving, funny, and soon part of the family. As the years passed, he even went to our children’s homes for celebrations.”
When Stan went to adopt a Golden Retriever puppy, Bob "volunteered to drive". That's when things took a sudden turn, and Bob’s name was also added onto the waiting list for a future puppy.
Months later, on the same evening, two sister Retrievers delivered 17 puppies, one of which became Stan’s dog, Tess, and the other Bob’s, Gabriel. The furry cousins played together at the dog park.
As Stan’s health declined, his walking buddies took him to doctor and hospital appointments. After each, he was driven to the park, where he’d sit on his walker watching dogs.
He sensed that dogs understood the emotions that flows from humans to them. He thrived on seeing the love and adoration in their eyes and watching wagging tales. He appreciated how the dogs peacefully got along at the park. On a funny note, politicians were not his favorite animal. He did not like the way they snapped and barked at each other!
After his passing, thirty dog-walking friends and their 16 dogs joined at Stan’s favorite bench to spread his ashes. His bench displayed his photo, paintings and the model boats he had created. Tears flowed as his friends reminisced about him while their dogs ran and played, just as Stan would have loved. The group is purchasing another bench for others to sit, enjoy watching dogs, and meet their next best lifelong friends.
One touching memory about Stan occurred after an operation resulted in a suspended driver’s license. Bob and Gabby would pick him up, and then drive Stan to an empty parking lot. Stan would take the wheel and drive around and around the vacant lot as excited as a teenager.
“He was thrilled to be driving again,” recalled Bob. “After his passing, he bequeathed me his Mercedes Benz with the promise to drive Gabby to ‘our favorite park’. Also, last year, when Tess died, Stan kept calling my dog Tess. Gabby didn’t mind; she seemed to understand.”
In life, everyone benefitted from knowing Stan and after his passing others still “will”. He bequeathed money to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Salvation Army, and his hospital. He will be missed by his friends and their dogs.
