Sid, Dog of Peace. And my other dogs.

[mckitterick]

siro_gravity asked about me and dogs - don't I just have cats and hamsters? Yes, I've had dogs!

My first dog was Senja, a Norwegian Elkhound. She became "my" dog when I was eight, and soon was a blue-ribbon winner at dog shows. I mean, how many young dogs obey an 8-year-old boy at a public show? She lived for another five years; I'll save the story of her end for another time.

A couple of decades passed before I was ready for another dog. Kij and I got Sid from the Seattle Humane Society, where we had left a request that they contact us if they got a small, calm dog suitable for a tiny apartment. When they let us know they had a German Shepherd Dog that was "perfect for us," we were so sure they were wrong that we rode my motorcycle over to meet him. We went into the back room where all the dogs were kept and were met with a deafening cacophany of barks. This old German Shepherd sat quietly as the Humane Society worker opened the gate to his stall, then stood while the worker attached a leash and handed it to me. We walked Sid out into the exercise grounds, and he was so obedient and noble and calm - even in the face of wild dogs jumping all over - that we knew the shelter had been right. I rode home and got the car to bring him home. It soon became clear that he had been abused and had back injuries; he was very sad and quiet for a while. Then, suddenly, he became a goofball about three months in when he realized that we were his new pack. Sid lived with us for three years. RIP beloved Sid.

My third dog was Hope. Hope was a rescue dog from the Lawrence, KS, Humane Society. They'd named her "Hope" because they hoped someone would adopt an old, anxious Collie-dog. We were softies, and the name worked out. She moved to Seattle with Kij in 2005, where she lived another couple of years. RIP sweet Hope.

So: Yes, I have had dogs in addition to various other pets, including my One True Cat (The Great Helen of Peerless, Whose Face Could Launch a Thousand Combines; RIP Helen), my other two beloved kitties (Tatsuko and Sanju), and a number of mouses and hammies, including my One True Hamster (alternately Hammie-Boy and Hefner, who just passed away this spring).

Okay, I'm off to fix my overheating Saab and fetch my repaired Vespa.

Later!
Chris

Comments

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

Fetish gives you her pissy face and asks: What am I, chopped liver?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

What a pretty kitty! She's not a dog, though (and can I count her as "my" cat?).

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

Shockingly, she is not a hamster, either. I'd say she's our cat just about as much as Hefner was our hamster.

[amysisson.livejournal.com]

Great photos -- that first one is just gorgeous! And Hope was quite the beautiful girl. ;-)

This morning I saw twin colts playing around their mama horse, and yesterday I saw two calves playing with a young donkey. Animals just lift the spirits.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Wasn't she, though?

Ooh, how charming! I get such pleasure out of watching critters: So honest with their emotions, so full of joy to be alive.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

chris!
these are wonderful stories!! poor sid...animals are SO at the mercy of the humans they live with, but you guys are also very lucky you found each other! you know, he was probably so quiet in his cage because he was sad. :( three years is not long enough!!!

hope is very beautiful, too!!
thanks for the stories and the sassy pix,

*wants your vespa!*

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

We never get enough time with the people in our lives, whether they be pink or furry. It's one tragedy after another, but it's also beautiful and fulfilling - what's life without pets?

I'm lovin' my Vespa.

[lingster1.livejournal.com]

As someone who has had abandoned or rescued dogs for the past quarter century (ten of those years going to rescued racing greyhounds) I appreciate what you said. So many dogs with so many sad stories! Thanks for rescuing a few of them, Chris.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

How many rescues have you lived with? It gets harder every time, I find.

[lingster1.livejournal.com]

Three were ex-racing greyhounds, but before them there were two mutts that came off the street (one, a St Bernard/lab mix weighed only 45 lbs when we found him). Another rescue (a malamute/husky mix) my youngest brought home from college when her landlord told her to get the "wolf" out of her apartment, and one that was born to a stray under the steps of a cabin I'd just bought up in the mountains. And it was very hard losing any of them, even the one who lived a full life and died at 15.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

It breaks one's heart to keep losing them, but a life without pets feels hollow.

[vretallin.livejournal.com]

If I ever have a dog as an adult it would be a German Shepard. Wonderful dogs.

Those are great pictures.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

They are GREAT. Except for the "German Shedder" aspect ;-)

Thanks!

[vretallin.livejournal.com]

LOL very true, you must own a solid vacuum as it gets used quite regularly.

[geekmom.livejournal.com]

Awww, my first (and so far only) dog was a Norwegian Elkhound, too.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

You're the only other person I know who even knows what they look like!

[jeanineers.livejournal.com]

Sid was an amazing dog. Everybody who met him loved him.

Hope was the most sweet tempered dog. We were happy to have her in our home.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

So true, for both of them. Sid was such a lovable goofball; Hope was such a sweetie. I miss them both so much. Thank you for caring so much for Hope in her later years.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

Hope was so beautiful. She was the one that brought love back into Squanto's life after that horrific surgery left him feeling like he would never love again.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Aw, I love that shot.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

She was! And she had such fun with Squanto.

[fortyozspartan.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I had a Norwegian Elkhound growing up. She was a great dog. Absolutely huge though! 80 lbs... Not many people even know what they are.