A Dog by Any Other Name

We had a dog when I was very young .  She was a Dutch barge hound, probably crossed with something else, and her name was "Snussi."  She looked vaguely like the one pictured above, but a lot grubbier and a lot wetter.  She was, to the best of my recollection, a "good" dog who didn't demand a lot of attention.  She wasn't particularly cuddly, which was appropriate because she was also particularly smelly.  She lived outdoors and shadowed us as we wandered in the yard.

I knew at a very young age that everything had a specific name.  That mattered dearly to me for some unfathomable reason, and I fully expected everyone to see the world the way I did.  Our dog had a name, and it was Snussi. 

Big brother Lloyd at fourteen already  knew two things - he knew I was very particular about being right, and he knew more about dogs than I did.

"Her name's not Snussi," he teased, " her name is "George".

"No, it's Snussi."

"No, it's George."

"Dad says her name is Snussi."

"Ok, watch this - Here, George."

To my growing horror, Snussi  wandered over to Lloyd.

"Here, Snussi," I cried out desperate to correct her before she forgot her name.  She altered direction and headed my way.  Relief passed through me in a wave.

"Here, George," brought the dog back on a bearing for Lloyd.

"No, Snussi," I cried desperate to save the dog's self esteem.

"Joe, she doesn't know her name, she just knows 'Here' and goes to whoever is calling."

"No, her name is Snussi."  My face felt warm.

"Watch - Here, Zeke."  The dog came to him and he patted her neck.  "Call her."

"Here, Snussi." The dog dutifully waddled over to me.

"Here, Frank."  Back she went to Lloyd.

Hours later, alone in the back yard with my thoughts, and our dog.

"Here, dog,"  I whispered.

We looked after a boxer named Teddie for a short time.  Too short, in my mind.

Teddie was playful, good natured and protective.  He quickly became part of our "pack" and greeted us with enthusiasm every time he saw us, whether away for a day or an hour.  Mom really liked the dog, but he wasn't around long.  My strongest memory of him was seeing him tied to the unfinished shed at the back of the house in Alberni.  He also liked to lick our faces, which tickled and felt disgusting at the same time.

Teddy the black Labrador retriever lived near us in New Westminster.  He wasn't our dog but he spent almost as much time in our yard as he did in his own.  Teddy and I would wrestle, Greco-Roman style trying to knock each other over.  Wrestling matches with Teddy got very physical, but he never bit, snarled, or raised a hackle.  He liked to play more than fetch and he was great company.  I don't think we fed him but I am pretty sure he ate when he was around.

Tiki was a Samoyed who came to live with us for the last half of her life.  She was affectionate, rather lazy and suffered from hip dysplasia.  She arrived after a former girlfriend convinced me that she was going to be put down if she didn't find a home.  I was amazed that Mom and Dad agreed to bring her in.  She became Dad's constant companion, following him everywhere as he puttered around the house.

She was terrified of thunder, and when it came she would run from the house, looking back with both fear and hurt in her eyes as if we had somehow created a terror just for her.  After disappearing for a few days, she reappeared under the school where Mom worked, looking more trim and fit than ever.

After the kids left home and Dad had passed on, Mom acquired a Springer Spaniel she named "Ginger".  She was a highly active, rather hyper dog.

In one of writer David Sedaris's stories he describes how shocked he is that his father has brought in a dog - a Great Dane - without checking with him first.  He never felt close to the new dog, saw him as a gold digging interloper.  Mom saw Ginger as a burst of positive energy.

Sadly, Ginger's impulsive behaviour cost her her life as she jumped out of the car on a busy highway and ran into the road and was struck.

I have never owned a dog, no Wally or Digger or Puddles or Austin or Jojo or Skully or Murdoch for me.

Dogs pictured are not the real dogs.

You are most welcome to substitute real photos in place of my approximations.