I have always owned dogs. When I moved into the UpDoNa, I had three:
- A Pug/Pomeranian mix (named Pugs)
- A lazy chubby Weiner dog (Sophie)
- A mini Chihuahua (Cloe)
As with life, they all have passed on. I like to think they went to a happy place and are all together again.
Six years ago, when my last dog, Sophie, passed, I was heartbroken. My daughter went looking for another dog for me. She found one; the breeder had just had a litter of three Yorkshire Terriers: one female that was already taken and two males that were still available.
I drove to the house that morning. When I arrived, these two little pups were playing (and peeing) on newspaper in a penned-in area in her kitchen. I was planning on getting one, but it was love at first sight! Trying to pick which of these little balls of fluff I would choose was impossible….so I decided on both.
The worst part was waiting until they were old enough to come home with me. When the big day arrived, I took two of my grandkids to pick up the dogs; I don’t know who was the most excited….the kids or me! We named our little pups Mickey and Timone (we are Disney fans).
They had a friend waiting for them when we arrived home, a big brown Lab named Shiloh, my daughter’s dog. Shiloh liked to stay at my house when my daughter was working. Shiloh didn’t seem very impressed with these new arrivals who attempted to climb on her. They just couldn’t make it up that big mound of a body. After a few days, Shiloh became their adoptive mother and let them sleep on her warm body, snuggling into her if she purposely slept on her side. When they could finally climb on top of Shiloh, they laid ‘splat’ on top of her to keep themselves warm.
Our first outing in UpDoNa at the Spire was a short walk to Sculpture Park. I let the boys off their leashes so they could run around. One of them, Mickey, panicked and took off running up Champa towards the Spire. I grabbed Timone and tried my best to run after Mickey. I was worried he’d get hit by a car at the busy intersection. So many people were trying to help and run after him too. When I finally made it to 14th and Champa, a woman was holding a trembling dog…Mickey. She said a skateboarder stopped traffic, picked up Mickey, handed him to her, and went on his way. The kindness of some people is not always recognized, but whoever that young man was, he has my unending thanks.
Photo attribution: Carolyn Benton
