A boy and his dog
Russell youth says love for his pup helps sustain him through hard times
OTTAWA Eighteen months after leaving for Minnesota, Jonathan Pitre continues to wait for medical clearance to return home to Russell, Ont., and to his beloved dog, Gibson.
Pitre, 17, has suffered through two stem cell transplants, two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, and a host of life-threatening complications. He’s still dealing with fevers and nausea — problems that may be linked to his gallbladder.
Through it all, Pitre has been sustained by his steadfast mother, Tina Boileau, by his family, and by his boundless and unbridled love for Gibson, his four-year-old Boston terrier.
“Thank God for Gibson, he’s my best friend,” says Pitre. “He’s been my rock. Whenever something was going bad, I’d tell myself that it was all to make me better so that I can go home and go crazy with Gibson.”
In Minneapolis, Pitre sleeps with pillows and a blanket emblazoned with pictures of Gibson. He says good night to Gibson every evening on FaceTime. Pitre pours out his day’s news and emotions as Gibson licks the screen. Sometimes, Gibson will take a toy and place it beside the screen. Other times, he’ll just lie down and listen.
“I tell him everything,” says Pitre. “He’s kind of like my therapist.”
Gibson came into Pitre’s life by happenstance in September 2014. Pitre’s mother had gone dress shopping with a friend who insisted on making a visit to the St. Laurent shopping mall’s pet store.
Boileau let her friend explore while she stayed near the cash register. Eventually, tired of waiting, she wandered inside. “My eyes went straight to this little black dog that was on its back playing with a rubber bat that was bigger than he was,” she remembers. “He was so darn cute.”
She came home that night with a new dress, new shoes and a new dog, Gibson.
It was only then that she began to worry about what the puppy might do her fragile son. Pitre suffers from an incurable skin disease, epidermolysis bullosa, that makes his skin quick to blister and slow to heal. A puppy could do real damage to him with bites and scratches.
Somehow, though, Gibson knew Pitre was special. The first time he approached Pitre he climbed carefully onto his lap. While he launched himself at other people, Gibson would always wait for Pitre to sit down.
Gibson learned to lick Pitre’s wounds and pin back his ears when he sensed a particularly bad blister. He would keep Pitre company during the long baths required to manage his skin disease.
Gibson had a sixth sense for trouble, and would deposit his favourite toy beside the tub on days that proved difficult. When Jonathan cried, Gibson would run into a wall or fall off a chair — anything to make him stop.
Although Pitre had difficulty making friends at school, he found a soulmate in Gibson. Says Boileau: “Gibson reminds him what unconditional love is all about.”
Pitre describes his dog as stubborn, smart, loyal and affectionate. “He’s just so beautiful inside: He has so much love for everyone, it’s unbelievable.”
Gibson had to stay in Russell while Pitre went through his treatment in Minnesota. Pitre dreams constantly of their reunion: “It will be one of the best days of my life, for sure.”