Zoey

What’s that concept about man’s best and most loyal friend is typically your furry friend?  Well, that’s always held true for me during my lifetime, as I’ve been blessed with a number of furry friends – Pepper, Aggie, Marlowe, Bernie and Lizzie just to name a few.  But aside from Marlowe, who was my childhood best friend and protector, Zoey Katherine has been my adulthood best friend and partner in crime. 

In late 2003, some of my relatives found Zoey and her brother abandoned as puppies and they took them to nurture for a few months until they decided they couldn’t keep them, along with their other critters.  Initially, after Marlowe died in 2002, we pondered not getting another dog, but when my Mom called me to tell me that my relatives had some puppies they were giving away, I was surprised and immediately went down to check them out.  Zoey was a tiny little thing, solid black with a small patch of white below her neck and her ears perfectly flopped over like a Lab, but her face was much too pointed for her to be a full Lab.  Her little brother was tan, brown and black and had a lot of the characteristics of a German Shepherd.  How I would choose between the two, I had no idea.  So, I decided that when I put my hand in the crate, whichever one sniffed me first would be the one I chose – and that ended up being the girl. 

She was initially called Blackie, but I wanted her to have a real name.  Dad wanted me to name her Katie, but I was hung up on The West Wing at the time and named her Zoey, after one of President and Mrs. Bartlett’s daughters.  But to compromise, I allowed her middle name be Katherine for Dad, ha!  As she grew older, her ears did a transformation and completely stood straight up like a Shepherd.  The vet said that she was obviously a Lab/Shepherd mix, but additionally something else because she wasn’t quite as big as a true Lab/Shepherd mix.  But contrary to Marlowe, who would kill snakes and anything else, Zoey was very skittish because of whatever she may have endured prior to my relatives finding her.

The thing that most amazed me about Zoey was just how smart she was, in particular when it came to finding my purple Firebird, which is the only car she will actually ride in.  The first time I noticed this was when we were leaving the vet one day and I told her let’s go find the car.  I was standing still and she started pulling me in the direction of the Firebird.  The next thing I knew, she had gone to the driver’s side door (which is always the door she preferred to get in) and she stood on her hind legs and put her paw near the door-handle, almost as if she were saying ‘look, Mom, I found the car first!’

My sweet Zoey, yes she is sweet although I know to some of you she’s showed her teeth and barked severely at you, turned 14 in September of 2017.  That’s quite an old age for a dog of her size, and she’s the longest living dog that I have ever had.  Sadly though, I can tell she’s starting to wind down.  She’s lost a lot of weight and just seems to sleep more, but even when I let her out, she still has her get-up-and-go speed. And of course, she still loves to ride in the Firebird even though I have to help her in and out now.   I know that when she passes this will hit me harder than when Marlowe died.  He passed away while I was gone to Boston, but I had an idea he would.  I was still younger, and while it was sad, since I’m older and Zoey has been more like a child of mine, it’ll hit me harder than his passing, at least I think it will. 

Nonetheless, pets are our furry friends and ultimately our family members, too.  They can always bring us such comfort when we need it the most.  I know I’ve often ranted with them about issues that I’ve faced, and while they don’t verbally respond, it does seem that sometimes they listen, well until that squirrel catches their eye and they go running off after it!  Cherish you time with your furry friends and make sure to spoil them as much as possible!

Zoey was absolutely addicted to Candy Corn!!!

We spoil her so much that she gets her own swimming pool in the summertime!