Memories I Cherish

• A ball of chocolate colored fluff that fit in the palm of my hand--2.25 lbs
• The day I took him over to my sister's apartment--the only time he really barked like crazy as a puppy--we figured out pretty quickly that the smell of blueberry Krispy Kremes drove him nuts. Once the blueberry donuts were eaten, he was silent.
  
• Our first walk--less than a quarter mile and I had to pick him up and carry him
• Teaching him to sit, lie down, wait, hold hands, kennel
• Watching him fall all over himself, slipping on the floor and sliding around in his efforts to get turned around, as I called him with the promise of Pupperoni dog treats
• Watching him sleep
• The way he'd stretch out and his back legs made me think of a frog
• His little face looking up at me with absolute joy and adoration
• When he stretched out and I rubbed him down, his entire body from the base of his neck to the base of his tail was the length of my hand from wrist to finger-tips
• Our first walk in NYC, and meeting an Irish Wolfhound
• The way he avoided puddles and hated to get his feet wet
• How he pouted after a bath, grabbing his treat and running off to find sympathy from another person
• That at 5 pounds, he absolutely cowed his best friend--a 120 pound yellow lab named Chewbacca
• The day I came home from work to find a squirrel skin turned inside-out on the sidewalk, stripped clean. No bones, no muscle, nothing. Just the empty, inside-out skin. I called the vet and they told me to watch for diarrhea. That never materialized. I did, however, wake up at 3:00 the next morning when I rolled over and put my foot in a puddle of vomit comprised mostly of squirrel parts.
• The way he would curl up behind my knees when we napped; or on my hip; in front of my belly
• That he was protective of me, even when it meant standing between me and other people he loved
• How much he loved his Nanna
• Walking around the lake
• The way he hunted rats--squeezing his whole body under the refrigerator, and shimming out again backwards
• How demanding he could get about ensuring I went to bed on time
• That tying my shoes took thee times longer than necessary because I had to play fetch and tug-of-war in the process
• That his favorite toys were the ones given to him by Pompa
• Dressed up as Santa for Christmas
• Dressed up as felon for Halloween
• How much he hated to wear hats
• That he fit perfectly inside my jacket, with just his head popping out at the neck
• That I could put him in my shoulder bag, and carry him around, sound asleep
• The way other people responded to him when we were out and about
• That he refused to potty outside in the pouring rain
• His energy, warmth, and light
• He was the primary impetus for sustainable health changes--and the accountability I needed
• How much he loved blueberries;
• and raspberries;
• and blackberries;
• and strawberries;
• and apples;
• and pears;
• and bananas
  
• How comfortable he was with most strangers
• His little face staring up when he'd beg
• The way he curled up in my lap or next to me as I read or watched TV
• The digging, digging, digging at pillows to ensure they were in exactly the right spot before he would curl up for a nap
• That he wouldn't lie down on the floor unless their was a pillow, blanket, or other soft object between him and the floor. Carpet didn't count.
• He finally got over this last point his past winter when he'd curl up on the kitchen floor near the radiator while I cooked, or in the common room near the radiator while I ate. But if I was on the couch, so was he.
• How often I would find him ignoring his kennel, and his blankets, and any assorted pillows in order to curl up in my work-out sweats
• That when I left the blind up, he would find a spot in the sun on my bed
• How much he loved;
• and loved;
• and loved;
• and loved;
• and loved;
• and loved me, and others, unconditionally
• How forgiving he was
• The way he checked in on our walks, glancing up every few moments to make sure we were on track.
• The way his body moved and the look of joyful delight on his face when he ran full-out