The Best Dog Ever

Smokie has been my lifeline for a long time now. I love all my dogs, but he is special. He is literally the reason I get out of bed on days I don’t want to. He was Nick’s faithful companion when he was going through that teenage angst thing where they think no one loves them- Smokie loved him and he knew it. And he has pulled me out of a case of the blues more times then I can count.

I had two main reasons for getting Smokie- 1. I wanted Nick to have a dog. That was the most important thing to me. I knew that a dog would teach him about love and I really believe every kid should have a dog. 2. I was losing my hearing and couldn’t hear people at the front door. My room mate would come home and I would never hear her come in- it used to scare the crap out of me. I figured a dog would alert me to strangers at least.

So I started my search and as many of you know- when I am on a mission- it doesn’t end until I accomplish my goal. I must have gone to 5 Bay area shelters and never saw the dog for us. On my way home, I stopped at the Petco to see if there were any dogs for sale on the bulletin boards- and to my surprise they were having an adoption day.

I walked straight to Smokie. He was lean but huge. His head was the size of a basketball. He was all black with a white chest and German Shepard features. His ears were like bat ears, standing up and alert. I could tell he was young, and the adoption people said yes- he was about 9 months old. I asked if I could walk him. “Well – he is not really trained. Are you sure you can handle him?” I said I was. I took him for a quick walk in the shopping center and fell in love. He was our boy.

The adoption proceedings were a pain in the ass. They wanted to come to my house- meet my son, meet my cat. Since they forced the cat to meet Smokie they didn’t get along for the first 2 years. I thought the adoption people were all nuts.

When we came in with Smokie, twelve year old Nick was sitting on the sofa. His eyes got as wide as those Japanese eyes could get- and I could tell he was a little afraid of him but that night- Smokie slept on Nick's bed.

Smokie was friendly to people but completely untrained. If the front door opened he bolted. We chased that dog so many times the next five years it was crazy. But he was loyal and he loved us. Sleeping on my bed on the nights Nick was at his dads, then always with Nick when he was home. He was not so friendly to other animals. It took me months of walking him and spraying his face with water to teach him to not attack other dogs. Once he got it- he was the friendliest dog you ever met. He could and did pick a kitten up and walk around without hurting it all.

So twelve years later- Smokie has diabetes, he is blind- like walks into walls blind, and arthritic. He gets two shots of insulin a day and special food and countless trips to the vet. He hasn’t been able to get on my bed for about 3 years now. Some days he barely makes it upstairs, but he does- every night he lies down next to my bed or just outside my room in the hallway. He has two “brothers” now too. Mac sleeps upstairs with us, and Toshi who is downstairs in a crate.

Last night I was sleeping with the TV on as I do every night of my life for as long as I can remember. I take my hearing aides out at bedtime so the TV is always too loud for normal ears. Whatever show was on had a smoke alarm go off- which I did not hear until Smokie- tried to get on my bed wake me up. He could only get his two front paws up there- but he talked which sounds like an old man trying to clear his throat while saying the alphabet –vowels only; and kept hitting my head with his snout- until I woke up. When I realized what was happening-I gave a quick sniff to see if I could smell smoke- then realized it was the TV. I told him- “It’s okay boy.” And he went and laid down next to my bed. Mac- slept through the whole thing! Smokie would have saved my life if it were a real fire. He is the best dog ever.