Z is for ...

ZOEY

After my dog Marlowe passed away in 2002, I pondered whether I wanted to get another dog or not. I absolutely love dogs, but losing the dog I had had since I was a kid took quite a toll on me. We went for a period of time debating it, and as his cage and home sat empty, I kept thinking that I did want another dog. Fortunately for me, getting my next dog would be a little easier than I expected.

My great uncle, Ralph, had passed away in late 2003, and at his estate sale, one of my cousins had brought two small dogs to give away. Her husband had found a boy and girl dog abandoned at a hunting club, and they could not keep them so were seeking to give them away to a good home. Both pups were adorable – the male was tan with markings on his face (similar to a German Shepherd) and the girl dog was black with a white patch on her neck. I couldn’t decide which pup I wanted (I wanted both, but that was out of the question!), so I decided that I would open the crate door and whichever one sniffed my hand first, that would be the one that would come home with me, and as fate would have it, I would end up with the girl dog!

As Mom and I drove back home, we started debating names for her. This name debate would go on for a few days. She was then currently called “Blackie” but I thought that was just too plain or too obvious, so I wanted to give her a real name. Dad wanted to name her “Katie” and I was set on “Zoey” (after President Bartlett’s daughter from the TV show The West Wing). So to pacify Dad, I named my little black dog, Zoey Katherine.

It’s hard to believe that all happened now 11 years ago (or soon to be in November). Zoey Katherine (who is sometimes also called Zo or ZK or Z) has become one very spoiled dog. She has her large fenced in area that she stays in during the day full of her toys and swimming pool, but at night, she practically demands to come sleep in her crate under our carport. She has a new buddy, Maggie, the barn cat. While I let Zoey chase Maggie around the yard on occasion, we will often catch them rubbing noses through the fence and being best buds. Zoey gets a hot dog each morning when it is time to walk her back to her pen – now, if that isn’t spoiled, I don’t know what is!!

At 11 years old, I can tell Zoey is starting to wind down as she’s having trouble jumping up on things or her legs seem a little more shaky than usual. But, when you let her loose from her pen, she will still give a deer or any other bird that flies a good chase through the fields. Recently, Zoey had an incident with a possum in her cage. Now, my old dog, Marlowe, would kill just about any wild animal (snakes, rats, etc.), but Zoey has never gone after anything in her life – that is, until, ‘ole possum got in her cage. I wish many days I had been home to witness my little Zoey go on the attack. She grabbed ‘ole possum behind the neck and slung it for all its worth several times. Whether she actually killed the nasty creature is one thing, but for her to stand her ground and fight made me one proud mama! And after the crisis was over, Zoey was a nervous wreck, so to relax she took a dip in her swimming pool!

One of Zoey’s most favorite things to do is ride in the car, but not just any and every car, she will only ride in my Firebird. That has been Zoey’s car since she was little. If I pull the Firebird up in the yard, she immediately starts doing figure-eight runs around her house, barking for sheer excitement because she thinks she is going for a ride. Now, it is one funny site to see me and a medium-sized, 60 plus pound dog, riding around town in a Firebird. But, Zoey loves it! Our rides usually are just to the gas stations or around town, but on occasion, we will make a pit stop at Krispy Kreme or Wendy’s to get Zoey a treat!

I’ve loved my years that I have had with Zoey. There is truly something therapeutic about spending time with a dog. Now, granted, she won’t sit still for long and listen to me vent and talk, as I believe she is a little ADD or something! But she is still a good companion who I love riding around town with or just going on a walk through the woods with. Zoey Katherine has been a good replacement for Marlowe King. I can honestly say I’ve had two of the best dogs, but two dogs that are also of two totally different personalities. But that makes the both special and both will leave lasting imprints upon my heart!