Sweetie.. A life worth remembering

On Jan 11, 2011 5:30 PM, “Andi”  wrote:

Hi.  On Saturday night, my Sweetie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

I remember meeting her back in 2000, as she darted wildly through the old warehouse parking lot.  She was confused, dazed, bewildered, bleeding, battered and bludgeoned.  It took a bunch of us to corral her.  Bravo (with his animal magnetism and boyish charm) attracted/distracted her while Ginger fearlessly grabbed her and wrestled a collar on.  This big, white Labrador-like looking dog, with a big fluffy coat and a giant curly tail was obviously hurting all over.  We didn’t know where she came from or what to do with her.  Our first inclination was to return her to her home, but as we posted signs for her all over the neighborhood, and cared for her over the next few days, it became apparent that sending her back, would be a fate way worse than death.  (I tore down all of the signs myself.  There were about 50).  She was so badly abused.  So began the task of nursing her back to health and making her well.  Voyko did a great job of loving her and preparing so many special meals.  Sweetie continuously ran away from us for at least the next eighteen months.  (I assure you it wasn’t his cooking:)

It took so much patience to welcome her home with happy cheers, smiles and fake “good girl” squeaky voices – after she eluded us, (sometimes for hours) while we chased her all over the neighborhood. We must have looked like the Keystone Cops! The vet said she was about six then.  She had no socialization skills.  She had to learn how to be house broken.  She had to learn how to trust people.  She had to learn that it was ok to come into the house. She did not know how to play ball or chase a Frisbee.  She was always ducking from everything.  That part was hard and for years, even the closest of friends would come to the house and she would run from them – pacing back and forth to make sure they weren’t going to pull anything “funny” on us.  She would lay behind my desk at the office, hoping no one would notice her, and she didn’t “really” have to defend me.  She adopted the sofa in the living room as her “safe place”, but would practically hold her breath if you got close enough to pet her there. It took about eight years before she actually believed that you weren’t going to “club her” with a nice treat in your hands.  Always on guard.  Always suspicious.  Two years after we took her in, we found out that she was actually a very rare breed dog.  A Hungarian Kuvasz.  They were bred to hunt bears and Nazis! (YES!  Quite ferocious are these dogs when they’re not broken).

About three years into our relationship, she finally relaxed with us at the house.  Whew,…. hello?????  Duhhh?????  She loved the interaction with the other dogs and cats and found a place of comfort on the property.  She knew every inch of these two acres and kept a strong vigil at the top of the hill. She made sure that there were no rats, opossums, snakes, or armadillos within 200 feet of the house and took her job very seriously.  She was especially adept at ridding us of small, blind, defenseless varmints who got in her path, and loved to threaten the mailman along with Jazz.  I’m sure she was practicing for all the bears and Nazis that were likely to show up at some point.

About two years ago, Sweetie finally came into her own.  She understood that everyone else wasn’t going to hurt her and that our friends were pretty good people too.  She loved small children.  (No, not to eat, but instinctively to protect:) Ultimately, since she was always really very docile and “sweet”, she became the poster child for many a pet product video or ad. As a model, she certainly excelled.  Everyone likened her to the image of Marilyn Monroe.  “The Marilyn Monroe of Dogs” they said. You can see for yourself.  She appeared on tons of TV shows and photo shoots, and always made the set so much more beautiful to look at.  She was, in fact, a very good girl. Sweetie would sit, poised demurely on any set, while sister Jasmine was ALWAYS asked to leave the studios.  Quite the opposite, they are.  I guess Jazzy likes to “direct”:)

So, at 17 years, my beautiful girl has passed.  She lived a very long life and the second half was probably amazingly good (as far as dog’s lives go).  In death, she was as graceful and beautiful as she was in life.  She will be missed.  The picture with me was taken in November when we knew she was “getting up there”.  It was, I guess, just her time to go.

Thank you for caring.

With love,

Andi, Voyko, Jazzy and Bijoux

xox

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
–Jimi Hendrix

Sunset photo by easylocum on flickr