Sit, Stay, Good Boy....I love you. Yes I do.

Life has come and gone again in our home.

This morning I could've sworn I heard Action, my dog, barking.  He greeted me every morning when I opened the vertical blinds that line the sliding door by my bed.  He was trained to be an outdoor dog and because of his breed, an American Eskimo, he preferred it that way.  The house was his to guard and his bark always let us know when our friends, delivery people, and other "nuisances" were nearby.  Even after going completely deaf, he could smell when people were close, but he always knew our family. 

Action was given to me in 1994 by a friend when we graduated from Pharmacy Tech School together.  He was the cutest thing I ever did see, I tell you.  Three months old, as big as a mini loaf of bread, all white fur (even his lashes), and a little black nose.  My parents were completely against it until they fell in love with him too, especially my dad.  In my opinion, he broke up the tension in the house sometimes and softened angry hearts.  How could you get mad?

As he grew older, he gave us some grief as most pets do when you're unfamiliar with what to do with them.  (Soap Box announcement:  get educated before you get pets for you or your kids.  They require a lot of work, money, insurance, exercise, and most of all your time & love....end announcement)   Our dog was extremely smart and proved it by causing havoc in the park across the street from our house.  Unknowingly (and frequently), our dog would hop over the back wall, run around the block, go to the park and have a good run.  When all was done, he would return the same way, in the same manner and greet us at the back door with a wag and a smile.  Til one day, he went during the park's kids' soccer season.  He got so excited and chased a kid, and eventually bit him.  (Dog rider on the house insurance = more $$)

One time on his way home from one of his morning jogs, he got hit by a car but came away with only scrapes and bruises.  We found out when the driver came to our house to ask us if we had a white dog.  We confirmed that we did and  he explained to us what had happened.  I checked the back yard and wouldn't you know it, he had returned before we could notice.  We checked him out and confirmed that it was true, especially when Action started barking like crazy at the man, but he was alright.  Just some First Aid, and TLC, and he was fine.

So we really had to watch him and put him on a really long leash so that he could still run around but not far enough to get out.  Poor guy.

Obedience school was one of the funnier times we shared together, like "Mommy & Me" for pets and their owners.  One funny memory is of us having a good day at school.  We finished and hopped into my Impala.(He loved riding with me.)  We exited the parking lot, and with the leash around my wrist, he jumped out of the window before I could accelerate into the street.  I had to slam the breaks on and get him back inside. Oy Vey!  Picture me, someone really short, in a huge car trying to get this dog back inside. There was a lot of crawling across that huge bench seat going on.

He also loved to dig holes.  Holes big enough for his body to shelter him in cold weather.  Instinct.  Imagine our surprise the first time we saw his tail wagging from the hill without a body present.  Pretty funny, but we couldn't stop him from doing it and ended up filling a lot of holes till he couldn't climb up anymore.

We named him Action because he was so fast and could outrun most dogs in the park.  I used to work graveyard shifts and would walk him in the morning.  My version of walking him was me taking him to the park hungry, letting him run around with other dogs, then calling him back with snacks in hand.  It always worked.  Other dogs seemed to get snacks too.  They'd smell them in my pockets and come and jump in my lap.  I spent a lot of money on snacks, lol.

Action would've been 16 years old next month.  In his old age, he'd gone deaf and had failing eyesight.  His hips were getting weak and getting up and down the steps was becoming a chore.  He still had a great loud bark that annoyed the heck out of our neighbors, but that's how he loved us, by protecting us.

Last night when mom went out to feed him, she found him on the side of the house lying down and permanently asleep.  His teeth were getting bad and he was having trouble chewing kibble.  We think he choked on a piece and might've had a heart attack in the process of coughing up the food or maybe a fur ball ( our dog had A LOT of hair )  The exertion was just too much for him.  I know he's happy wherever he is, running around and digging holes.  I miss him, I even looked outside to see if he was outside this morning, he wasn't.

I woke up and saw the last 5 minutes of Marley & Me, and caught the part that wasn't sad, but the part where it reminds you that this one little guy made you feel completely special, completely loved, and one of a kind.  That was a gift.  And when I looked out at the hill in our backyard where he loved to dig those enormous holes, I saw one beautiful flower that had blossomed as if to remind me that he would always be home.

 

I love you Action.  Sit.  Stay. Good Boy.