Nakima

Today my puppy left me. 

When I was little I wanted a dog. Yes we had the family pets, little Scruffy the Shitzhu and Prince the oversized white German Shepherd, but I wanted my own dog. My homeward bound chance, the dog that would love me unconditionally and would be just mine. I wanted the dog that was fully devoted to me and went everywhere with me.

Late June/ early July 2000 I found Nakima. A floppy haired small blonde puppy chasing the horses in the pasture, I believe to this day she thought she was going to catch and eat the big draft horse for dinner quite a feat for a 20lb 5month old mutt. She was the sweetest and quietest dog I had ever met. Sat next to and leaned into me for affection and stayed by my side the rest of the day. We brought her home and Mom, Annie and I convinced Dad to let us keep the sweetest dog ever. A few good meals later, she was climbing fences, eating frogs, and causing general havoc. But every time she ran away she came home. And for all her hyperactivity she was equally sweet. Curling up next to me every night. Protecting my room from unwelcomed anything after I fell asleep and being a pillow for many a nap. She was never the dog I could take to the stable, she always got into fights with Stitch, or tried to kill the chickens or just run off into the fields. She was often over protective of me towards unknown dogs, so trips to petsmart where limited and dog parks were out of the question. But she had other loveable qualities, she could climb trees, kill anything she set her mind to (squirrels, birds, frogs, mice and once a muscrat), loved to snuggle, and tolerated all my crazy with a patient love that wouldn't quit. 

When we moved to te beach it was like giving an old dog new youth. She loved taking walks and sniffing interesting shells as dead jellyfish. She also was a firm believer that every toddler who came to the shore actually came to pet her and would make it her job to get in the middle of any activity to be sure she was the center of the child's affection.  

The one thing that never changed was that she was happy to see me. If I had been gone a day, a few hours, a week she would see me and she knew me. She might not know where she was anymore, or what was going on around her, but she always knew me. She was the best dog I could've asked for and I loved having her in my life. I know that her body doesn't hurt anymore and that she is resting eternally but it's still sad. I will miss her for a long time. She was a good dog and beautiful to the end.