Author David B. Alexander
This is me! Just an old man that has lived an extraordinary life, and hasn't stopped yet.
A few weeks ago, I flew to North Carolina to buy a puppy. I guess it would help if you knew
"The rest of the story."
KoKo was a red pomeranian. There were some other colors in there but mostly she was red. She learned all of the rules right out of the box, and I didn't have to worry about her. She was always watching me, and staying in the area. We live in Florida so Koko loved her doggy door with the air conditioner, and hated my sailboat. It was too hot and the fiberglass too slippery.
Koko's first injury was out of the ordinary. While chasing a lizard, she poked a pineapple leaf into her eye. Her eye turned white and I figured she would loose it. Guess what? For thousands of dollars, there was a doggy eye specialist in Orlando. I paid the money, made the trip three times, and her eye was almost as good as new. At fourteen years old, she started ignoring my commands. It didn't make sense. She had a vocabulary better then most peoples kids. When it was time for shots, I had her hearing tested. It was about 80% gone and would probably get worse. "Sometimes it happens. There is nothing we can do." Koko got good at sign language and I swear she was reading my lips. I decided to get another Pom to learn all of Kokos commands and habits before she got older and passed away.
Zenzi was a wolf-sable Pom being delivered from Texas. She and Koko slept, ate, and played together. Koko was active and followed Zenzi's lead on anything she couldn't hear. If Zenzi barked at the Pizza man and stopped when I answered the door, Koko kept barking until I did the shutup hand signal. Koko developed terminal kidney failure and died a few months later. Zenzi had learned all of her mannerisms and rules and was a comfort when Koko went. Now, a year old, she was used to having another dog in the house while I worked. Now Zenzi was showing signs of depression.
We decided to get another puppy to keep Zenzi... and us, company. This of course happened before Christmas, and puppies were in demand. Pomeranians in Florida are pricey. I found a puppy that met our search criteria in North Carolina. I worked out the details and made the trip January 8th. We did the deal right at the airport. Her name was Athena, and we just kept the name. She was tiny. Two and a half pounds. We had a six hour lay-over in Charlotte, and she was scared by the playing kids, the speaker announcements, the jet engines whining, and the makeup queens from the Mary Kay convention. It was stressful with her whining and nervousness. At lunchtime, we went to Hardees. I shared the edges of my burger, and held the ice cube as she licked them. Now I am the good guy, the safe spot, and her new security.
It has been two weeks now. Her and Zenzi are best friends playing all of the time, and I am watching the teaching being passed on. Athena still thinks I am the all-powerful human and is always following me. I spend a lot of time at my keyboard, and Athena is, even now, under the base of my chair. I have to look before I can roll it. She sleeps against my chest at night, and cries loudly when I go to work.
What have I learned that I can pass on?
1.
Many years ago, I had a dog named Kodiak. He was a huge alaskan malamute that had been beaten by his owner. His wife sold Kodiak to me if I would come and get him before her abusive husband came home. It was a rough beginning. Kodiak thought all men were abusive and didn't hesitate to put a paw on each of my shoulders and show me his fangs... closely. After the first six months, Kodiak and I were best friends, and now he would kill for me. We ran, worked, and swam together. When Kodiak got old, and I had to put him down, I couldn't be there with him when the deed was done. He looked at me with those big trusting eyes as he saw me turn and hand him over to a veterinarian he didn't know. I have never quite got over that.
I stayed with Koko when I put her down. It was peaceful and I petted her until her heart stopped. But... I was there with her. We owe that much to our pets.
2.
Many people are sending puppies to their buyers on commercial airlines. There are a lot of things that happen that could have permanent effects on your new puppy. Meeting the puppy and personally carrying it as carry-on, is the beginning of bonding. I'm curious if the bond with this new puppy is temporary or permanent. It feels fairly permanent.
3.
Pom puppies are sort-of solar powered. If you are flying with a puppy, try to do as much of the trip as possible at night. As soon as the cabin lights went out, so did Athena. I got her out of her carrier for a drink of water, and she slept the rest of the trip to Florida on my lap, in the dark.
4.
When you see your fur-baby getting old, get another puppy. It helps us fill the emptiness of the one we just lost, and the puppy will learn all of the house rules you worked so hard teaching the last one.
In the Longue Duree series that I just finished, Louis has a Pomeranian. Years later, he still thinks he hears his pom running through his condo, or waking him him up to go out.
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