My husband, Ginger is not an early riser. In fact by the time he gets up, Nutmeg (me) has generally finished a work-out, done the laundry and been to the grocery store. To be really clear, there are about two things he will get up early for; downhill skiing (never cross-country) and flying. Yesterday, started with an early morning phone call to say that Skoki our 14.5 year old black lab was not well. Ginger bolted out of bed and tried to set a land speed record driving to Canmore to see his dog. She was not well, although a trip to the vet seemed to lift her energy a little bit, it was not for long.
Our black Labrador dog, Skoki was born in Leduc, just outside Edmonton. Ginger convinced Nutmeg to go for a drive one snowy Saturday, 14 years ago. Nutmeg was pretty sure of two things; you do not drive to Edmonton “just for fun” and no dog lover in their right mind goes to “just look” at puppies. The long and short, naturally, was that Skoki made the trip back south on Highway Two to Calgary. She started in the back seat of our car, that lasted for about 5 minutes, before she started crying. Nutmeg quickly succumbed to maternal pressure and Skoki sat in the front seat on Nutmeg’s lap for the rest of the trip to her new home, and she was pretty proud of herself for scoring the first point in our long relationship.
From the very start, Skoki was what one might describe as a wee bit headstrong. In the early days, walks were determined by the will of a forceful little creature, who was pretty clear that she did not want to walk down an icy sidewalk. This was a dog with selective hearing from day one. However, if food was involved and then she had excellent ears. Over the years, Skoki was a loyal companion for dog walks, runs and mountain hikes. Most of all she just loved people, although was pretty careful with handing out her affection.
Ginger has been away at school for the last 10 months and arrived back home just two weeks ago. Skoki stood guard for that whole time, she made sure her mistress (Nutmeg), her dog-mate (Jade) and the house were safe and sound. She knew her time was short and her master was now home for good, she could tell because the piles of his stuff had started to accumulate. In her own special way, Skoki said good-bye yesterday, to her best friends. Early this morning, it was clear she was not going to regain her strength nor her lovable spunk. Nutmeg took her for a drive to see the mountain views in Canmore and then she said good-bye for good. We will miss our good friend but know that she is somewhere close-by, pretending to ignore us.
Animals are wonderful beings. They are astute, sensitive, carefree and individuals. it is amazing and wonderful, how pets can truly become family members and trusted companions. Over more than 14 years, our relationship with Skoki developed from one of wonder and joy at puppy antics, to a deep respect and love for each other. Every morning she would be clear that she had missed us and watched over us the night before. My husband was not fortunate to grow up with dogs. His family had cats, which are without question unique personalities, although often individuals first and foremost. Skoki was a Labrador with a personality, an independent streak and a reserved love for her master, she was truly my husband’s best friend. She will be missed.