The other day my husband and I took our daughter to the pet store to see the animals. My daughter loves animals. Whenever she sees a dog or cat she tries to get them to come to her so she can pet them. She loves watching birds fly or fish swim around in their tanks. I wish I could get her some sort of pet but the apartment complex we live in has very strict rules about pets. While watching my daughter marvel over all the animals it got me thinking about all the pets I had over the years.
My mother liked animals as well. We had an almost constant parade of dogs through my childhood. We never had one for long due to the fact we could afford to feed ourselves let alone a pet or they would run away. One dog made more of an impact on me than the others, our dog Nick.
I met Nick when I was about 5 years old. He belonged to my mother's boyfriend. He was a big wolf and shepard mix. He looked more wolf than shepard and he scared me. Mostly because he was so big. He was kept in a huge kennel because everyone was afraid of how he would react to all the kids. He was such a beautiful animal. He loved my mother from the start. He actually peed on her when they first met. From that moment on my mother was his. He was also protective of my brother who was born shortly after my mother got together with Nick's owner. When my mother and her boyfriend broke up I only saw Nick occasionally which didn't bother me that much. Like I said he scared me.
When my brother was about 5 years old Nick came to live with us. My mother's ex could not keep him at his new place so gave him to us. When Nick came to live with us I was still mildly scared of him. I have always been afraid of large dogs. However my fears soon disappeared. Having Nick in our house was wonderful. He wasn't aggressive towards my brother or myself. We were his pups. We would cuddle on the floor or couch everynight. He was very protective of all of us. He still thought of my mother as his. So much so he peed on the couch once after my mother's new boyfriend got up. If there were men in the house he always sat on my mother. He really was amazing.
We were not allowed to have pets at our place so if there was going to be a chance the landlord would be stopping by we took him to our friend's house down the street. He hated being down there and would howl until my mother or myself went down to see him. Thankfully we didn't have to send him away all that often.
One such time sticks in my head more than others. My mother told me to walk Nick down to the neighbors because the landlord was coming over. I grabbed Nick's tether and led him down the street. I tried to reassure him along the way that I would be back for him soon. I even made a deal with him that we could cuddle on the couch if he didn't howl too much. After making sure he was secure I headed home. He of course howled and whined wanting to come home with me.The landlord came for her visit and left. I'm not sure how it happend but I ended up angering my mother. Things got physical pretty quickly and I tried my best to keep quiet. Suddenly the phone started to ring. My mother answered and after a brief conversation rushed outside. Apparently Nick had heard me screaming and broke his tether to get to me. By the time my mother was outside he was already up the street. My mother met him outside the gate yelling. She went to grab what was left of his tether and he bit her. Hearing her screaming I rushed outside. As soon as Nick saw me he came right to me. I was afraid that he was going to bite me as well but he just leaned his massive body against my legs and pushed me back into the yard. My mother tried to follow but he growled at her. As soon as I was in the yard I tried to calm him down so my mother could come in the house and take care of her wounds. Nick was having none of it. He would not allow my mother through the gate. Everytime she touched the gate or fence he would growl at her. He knew she was angry and didn't want her anywhere near his pups. After about an hour he allowed my mother back in the yard. By this time she had calmed down. Even after letting her in the gate Nick wouldn't allow her near me. We spent most of the day in the living room with Nick sandwhiched between my brother and myself. This happened a few times and Nick always forgave my mother but I don't think he ever truly trusted her. He loved my brother and I and would do anything to keep us safe. He was my furry savior for a while. I always felt safe with him in the house. I knew my mother wouldn't want to risk being bitten again so this was a nonviolent time in our home.
Sadly after a few months the landlord found out about Nick. We were forced to give him back to my mother's ex. I begged my mother to find a new home for all of us so we could keep him. My mother's ex took Nick just down the street from us. The ex's new girlfriend's mother lived down the street. The major problem with that was no one told the old woman Nick was there. She heard him howling and thought a stray dog had been injured and wandered into her yard. Animal control came and took him away. I was under the impression that he had been picked up by the ex and taken to a new home. It wasn't until months later that my mother told me that no one came for him and that he had been put down. I was hearbroken. I still am. My poor furry best friend had been put down for no other reason than no one came to claim him. He died alone and was disposed of as if he didn't matter.
I never forgave my mother for not making it work so we could keep Nick. I was so mad that she didn't go claim him. I never realized when he was with us how much I needed him. He was my best friend and my protector. I will always think of him as my first dog. I really wish I would have been able to hold him one last time.
My life has been shaped by my relationships with other people but my life was forever altered by a fuzzy wolf named Nick. I know that if there is a doggy heaven he is still looking out for me.
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