For those whose lives have not been touched by the companionship of a pet, of a dog in particular, these words will have little, if any, meaning. But for those of us who have an understanding of the relationship between a dog and its human companion, a cherished pet’s passing is a time of extreme and profound sadness.
It has been said that a measure of a person’s love for another can be seen in the grief caused by their passing. All of the times of pleasant company, of shared conversations, laughter and adventures, becomes a blur in the days that become our years. Friends, family, loved ones – all taken for granted until those we love are called back home beyond this world. Only in that time of loss do many give pause to review our life’s events and the contributions made by our departed loved ones.
As John Irving wrote in Last Night in Twisted River: “Sometimes, people fall into our lives cleanly – as if out of the sky, or if there was a direct flight from Heaven to Earth – the same sudden way we lose people who once seemed they would always be part of our lives.” So it is with a loved pet. So it was with Huck.
- more below on the treasure Huck was -
Huck was not a dog; he was a family member whose personality and antics filled the life of my dear friend and those who came into contact with him. For almost 12 years he was her source of companionship, of diversion and entertainment and, most importantly for my dear friend, of unconditional love when that seemed in short supply for her. During his current time on earth, he temporarily took the shape and form of a very, small and highly intelligent dog with some very, very peculiar personality traits.
Huckleberry, referred to both lovingly and in periods of extreme frustration, as “Huck” was a miniature, smooth short-haired dachshund. Huck fell into my dear friend’s life slightly 11 years, 11 months ago. She was a workaholic at large international telecommunications company. Her son was growing up and leaving home, her personal life seemingly empty and lacking a relationship. Work is what she used to block the loneliness and fill the time. She knew she needed a diversion that would demand her attention to draw her away from consistent work while providing her with some companionship. One weekend, while looking through the Pets for Sale section of the local paper, she noticed an advertisement from a breeder for miniature wiener dogs. She contacted the breeder and was informed there was one puppy left; she immediately left the house.
It turned out there was a reason Huck was the last of the litter to be adopted. His initial puppy name used by the breeder was “Monster” which might give you some indication of his personality. He wasn’t so much a monster as completely stubborn, bull-headed, highly intelligent and with such an intent focus on his needs and desires that all other aspects of life were completely unimportant. For my dear loved one who thinks “it’s all about her”, Huck made her stop and realize that for several minutes in each hour, it was about him. As a puppy, those traits are hard to manage and there are millions of other people who would have turned their back on him. But she is just as hard-headed and stubborn as he was and she would be damned if a dog smaller than most rats would get the best of her. Over time, I think they both learned to accommodate the other, just as any family member does. He became her friend, her confidante and companion, her #1 little man and what we affectionately called “the wiener baby.”
As an adult, he learned some limits but he was a master manipulator and “forgetter”. Not that he actually “forgot” because there were times when he would look you straight in the eye and do whatever he wanted, damn the consequences. His German neighbor’s nicknamed him was “No Angel”. But just like the dozens of people who met him, watch him and spent time with him, they too fell in love with his oddities and became his and his younger sister’s self-appointed foster and always willing dog sitters. For almost 3 years, Huck’s German foster parents made attempts to teach him dog commands in German; commands that he refused to follow in English. Huck was no fool, not for that trick. Regardless of the language, Huck knew what he would do, what he would not do, and what he could do when no one was watching quickly followed by a face of regret.
Technically, Huck was a miniature. But miniature would be a reach, as he was smaller than most miniatures. Huck was so small that while travelling in Germany, children and adults would stop to question and comment about his breed type and size. How small was he? Imagine a small woman’s tennis shoe, a size 6, and the opening in which the foot is slipped, where the ankle protrudes. As a puppy, he easily fit in that opening with plenty of room to grow. As he got older though, he did not grow that much.
Although dachshund’s have a tendency to become over weight, Huck was as slim and fit as a bantam weight boxer. At his heaviest, he topped out around 8 pounds and a few months ago I placed quarter on the ground to see how big his paw was, it just covered the coin. What may have contributed to his staying small was the fact that, if a dog can have ADHD, he had ADHD. He would spend hours each day hiding a ball in his blankets and then dig and dig and dig while pretending he lost it. Even if the ball rolled out of the bedding, he would ignore it as if it were not there. Eventually, he would “discover” the ball, wag his tail and then re-bury it back into the blanket and start all over. God pity the fool who thought they could just toss the ball a couple of times.
Although Huck was tiny, size was never an issue to him. In his Dog World, he was every female dog’s potential lover and he was as big and as mean as any other male Great Dane or Pit Bull. Neutered as a puppy, he still believed that his attitude and determination could conqueror any female who might be available, regardless of their size or current season of availability. How he ever thought he could mount an Irish Wolf Hound is anyone’s guess but it was a funny sight to watch. Contrary to some self-help gurus, all of the self-determination and drive (and doggy lust) in the world cannot overcome some obstacles.
As a small puppy, he and my friend attended a friends cook-out. Huck found a small hole in the privacy fence between the two properties and popped on over. In the center of the yard was a huge tree, one you could not place your arms around. and it was also the yard of a large Rotweiller type dog, fully grown and not one that any of the adults over at the party wanted to deal with. The Rotweiller looked a this 4 month old puppy and must have thought, "What in the world are you thinking? I've swallowed tennis balls bigger than you." But Huck paid him no heed. Huck went over to the tree and promptly peed on it to mark is territory, then continued to sniff around the base of the tree. The Rotweiller was watching and after Huck peed on the tree, the Rotweiller went over and placed his scent on top of Hucks. Huck circled the tree and when he came back on to the scent recently left by the Rotweiller over his pee, he marked it again and then re-circled the tree. Again, the Rotweiller remarked his territory. When Huck discovered the Rotweiller had peed on his tree again, Huck backed up took a huge dump on the spot as if to say, "Don't f*ck with me, Dude."
In many ways, Huck was practically fearless, unless it involved a cat who talked back. Then all bets were off.
Huck was, like all owners of pets like to believe, highly intelligent. But while many owners came their dogs can understand English, Huck not only understood the spoken word, he knew the spelling and abbreviations. Since he loved to play in water, Huck loved taking a bath, the longer, the better. So he learned the word for bath, regardless of whose bath it was. When that became an issue (since we would run into the bathroom and wait and cry until the water was run and he was in the tub) my dear friend took to spelling it out when she needed to communicate with another. But Huck soon caught on to the program and learned the spelling. Moving to Germany only expanded his vocabulary.
Regardless of Huck’s quirky personality traits and odd behaviors, my dear friend has been loved by him for just 4 weeks short of 12 years. He passed away around 2:30 P.M. CST, as an ex-pat puppy living in Germany. Like many deaths, it came unexpected (during a dinner party at her house) and quietly. His breathing was shallow and she called the vet but was told not to worry. A little later on, while she was attempting to quickly clear the house of dinner guests, he passed in his bed while being watched and guarded by his little sister, Raz. When my friend returned, he was gone.
Eleven years, eleven months of daily companionship, daily attention, laughter and daily doses of love and caring during times in her life when those things were not available from other “humans.” While we who knew Huck are all saddened for his passing and the sadness it brings to us, it pales in comparison to the loss she will feel in the coming days. Huck was and always will be her “wiener baby”.
In our lives, time passes at a variety of speeds from hours that last for days to days that evaporate in seconds. The days are long; he years are short. For my my loved one, the counted days seem like a mountain of time. Huck was with her 4.493 days but the years passed in blur of time. Eleven years, 11 months, 334 day of laughter and unconditional love.
What more can any person wish for from a friend or loved one?
PS - If you are interested in watching Huck and his antics, there are are a couple of Huck and Raz videos
Here Huck does not want to get out of bed on Christmas because he already visited the presents under the tree in Huckleberry's Christmas
And here Huckleberry and little sister Raz (short for Raspberry) open their gifts on Christmas day, Huck gets a ball for Christmas which was posted after people thought Huck really didn't get any Christmas presents Huck Gets a Ball for Christmas
crossposted at Street Prophets