Dog Days - part one

Our neighbors Pat and John got a new dog.  A junkyard dog.  No, really.  They got her from the junkyard.  She had been seen foraging for edibles by some people at the dump.  They began leaving treats out for her but could never get near enough to bring her in.  This was worrisome since it was only a matter of days before some heavy piece of landfill-moving machinery would crush her in her sleep.

So along came John to save the day.  His dog-whispering secret?  Hotdogs.  After a few near misses, John was finally able to lure her close enough to secure a lead around her.  She was a matted, terrified mess.  Pat was concerned about her new unkempt wild-eyed houseguest.  But after a visit to the vet and the groomers, it turned out that their junkyard dog was a purebred chocolate Chow Chow.  A real beauty.

Princess Chewbacca Twinkletoes of Palm Beach Gardens

Chewy for short.  Also responds to Baby Bear.  And despite looking exactly like an Ewok (which I think means "fierce furry warrior" in Wookie but don't hold me to that), Chewy is all teddy bear.  She's great with 2 yr old James and likes to politely sniff at 7 month old Caden.  Like many Chows, she's a little aloof with strangers and picky about who gets to pet her. After a few days of settling in, it was great to see her tail starting to wag.  The search for her owners turned up nothing which was just fine with Pat and John.

A few weeks ago, Pat and John went on a short trip so Chewy got to hang with me and the Yarn Widower.  She was so sad to see them go.  So much upheaval in such a short time.  Just as she'd gotten to like John and Pat, would they ever come back?  I assured her that they would.  But in the meantime, Yarn Widower and I decided to show her a good time.  We went to the dog park and prowled the neighborhood for squirrels.  We ate cheeseburgers and watched Lost.  One day we piled into the car and drove to the beach.  It turns out that Chewy hates water so we spent most of our time sniffing the dunes.  Still, it was an adventure and we all slept really well that night.

 Let sleeping dogs/bears lie.

When Pat and John returned, Chewy was a very happy dog indeed.  Now it was me who was sad to see her go.  I came up with all sorts of excuses to go visit her.  I really liked having Chewy around and even though she lived next door, I felt bereft.  There was no dog in our home.  Something just seemed off.

8 months ago, our beloved 15 yr old Jack Russell terrier Harry passed on.  Both the Yarn Widower and I really really miss the little guy.  He was our "once-in-a-lifetime dog" and we have such great memories of him.  We'll always miss Harry.  No amount of time is going to change that.  Having Chewy visit made me remember how much I like canine companionship. Life without a dog just seems like less of a life to me.  Maybe I was ready to get another dog.  But Yarn Widower was against the idea - there could never be another Harry.

True.  But still...

To Be Continued