Tribute to my dog Dingo

This post is personal, biographical, and indulgent - read at your own risk:

On Nov 2nd, sometime between 4 and 6pm, my 15 ½ year old Australian Sheppard Dingo had a stroke. This little dog – the poochie love of my life became partially disabled.

I met her in September of 1992; she was a “stray” puppy who bit my feet as I was changing the oil on my car in front of my parent’s home on W 12th St in Pueblo, CO. She was hungry and we began feeding her. Her “owners”, the DeHerrera family let us officially have her on 11/11/1992 – Veterans Day.

She was an artful survivor in those days, one time I saw her stick her nose in a clump of grass and come out with a grasshopper which she then ate. She had a taste for junk food, probably from the young boys, Nick and Eddie DeHerrera giving her candy and anything else from 7-11.

She also had a dislike of brooms, probably from Mrs. DeHerrera shooing her with one. One time we left her in the car with a newly purchased broom for a few minutes. She got even – tearing it up as much as she could in the time she had.

She spent her first few weeks in the front yard of my parent’s home. She spent much of her last weeks in the front yard of our home. She loved sitting in recliners and other comfortable chairs. She loved being outside.

She loved to play ball. One place we lived, a second story flat at 18th and High in Denver, had an indoor stairway that was carpeted. I would begin playing ball with her, throwing it down the stairs for her to retrieve and run up with it. After a while, she would refuse to get it. And I would go down the steps and throw it up to her at the top of the stairs. She would bunt it with her nose back down to me. So, she trained me to play catch.

Often if you were petting and scratching her – she would take your hand in her mouth and re-direct it to a preferred spot.

Regarding junk food, one time we gave her an organic corn chip and a nacho-cheese Dorito, placing both on the floor in front of her. She ate the Dorito and left the organic chip.

When she was six months old, we were living in a rented town home in Aurora at Iliff and Buckley. I was talking on the phone, she tried to get my attention but I continued my conversation. Finally she squatted over the open Yellow pages and made them a little more yellow, showing me why she needed my attention by urinating on them.

Everyone has a story about how smart their dog is – here’s mine: One time when we were moving, we got some fried rice. I ate half of my beef fried rice and Loretta decided to eat her chicken fried rice later. I said I would give the rest of my beef fried rice to Dingo when we got to our new apartment. We stopped at Walgreens at Race and Colfax and left her in the car. When we had come out, she had eaten all the remainder of the beef fried rice and left the chicken fried rice untouched. Both were in closed take out containers inside a paper sack. What a smart dog!

She was always much more interested in people than other dogs. People can pet you and give you food. What can other dogs do for you? I remember taking her to a dog park at 26th and Kearney. She showed no interest in the other dogs but great interest in the other owners, especially those eating Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She loved to ride in the car. Many times I would take her, always being careful to park in the shade. She liked to sit above the back seats in the back window when the car was parked and generally liked to be behind the driver’s seat when the car was in motion.
Onetime while at Walgreens at 2nd and Broadway, I went to pay for my purchases and could not find my wallet. I came out to the car and searched and searched. Finally Dingo moved slightly from her perch in the back window to reveal she had taken the wallet and had been laying on it the whole time.

I have many more stories which I’ll add later about this amazing friend. I’ve cried several times while writing this.

She is in transition now – perhaps for a few months – perhaps just a few days. This just makes me realize how very much I love her and value her spirit – as I anticipate missing her physical presence. She is such a noble, regal, earnest, kind, loving and amazing friend! I love you Dingo.

(This was written while on a flight to Los Angeles on November 9th, Dingo left her body on November 13th, 2007, shortly after our return to Denver).

Although I teach people how to enrich their lives, I don’t pretend to know everything that life is about. I do know one thing. We are hear to love and enjoy and relish in the lives that we both create and are given. While Dingo’s transition brings tears and her last days were challenging, I am so very grateful for the over 5600 wonderful days I spent with her. Her presence and enthusiasm are gifts that continue to enrich my life.