In the divorce I got custody of Terra, my 8-year-old, 60-pound,
blue-eyed, cinnamon-colored, Siberian Husky. She was the sweetest dog you’ve
ever met. For 6 months she and I lived in Malibu, in a beach house on the sand,
and life was good for Terra. We walked on the beach and relaxed on the balcony
watching the waves and the dolphins and the sea lions and sea gulls and even a
few whales. Terra was a healthy, happy, beautiful girl. Then we moved. Over the
next year she had a run in with a skunk, jumped out of the truck and injured
her knee, had an attack of flea infestation with a terrible allergic reaction,
and almost went into a coma when the neighbors shot off fireworks into our
yard. We moved again. And suddenly she was diabetic. Within a week, even with
insulin injections, she lost all her strength. She collapsed in the yard and I
had to call a friend to help me carry her up the stairs. The next day she
couldn’t move at all and my daughter (Lindsey), came to help me carry her down
the stairs and put her in the car to take her to the vet. Lindsey went with me and I held my Terra in my
lap, my 60-pound lapdog, the sweetest, most beautiful Siberian Husky there ever
was, as she looked into my eyes and took her last breath.
Lindsey took me out for a Margarita. Through tears she said
to me “Mom, you need a puppy”. I told her I didn’t want to get a puppy. She told me I needed to get a puppy. My
daughter has always been my best friend and she knows me pretty well. She
ordered me another Margarita. We cried, we drank Margaritas… maybe we ate
something, I don’t remember. Then we got in her car to go home and she started
driving toward Malibu. I didn’t live in Malibu anymore. She drove to the place
where I got Buddy for her. She said “Mom,
we are getting you a puppy”. I was too weak to protest. We went in and looked
around. They brought a puppy to me that was a crazy little wire-haired mix. She
was adorable and we liked her, but…. I don’t know. Then they brought this tiny
little blonde Cocker Spaniel to me. I took him and he put both paws on my
cheeks and licked my face all over. He kissed away all my tears and started
immediately healing my heart. Through tears streaming down her face Lindsey said
“Mom, I think we just found your new baby”. There was no way he was letting go of
me. I think he had been waiting for me for a long time. On the way home I had
him snuggled on my lap in the car and we thought about names. Lindsey looked
over and said “He looks so droopy” and we both said “that’s it!...... DROO!”
I didn’t notice at first the little patches of white on his
shoulders. Droo had wings. He actually had 2 little white “wings” on his shoulders,
and a heart-shaped nose. My little
Angel. When his baby fur changed to his
adult coat the wings disappeared. About
6 months later we moved to Santa Paula. Droo had a big yard to run in. He ran
laps around the outer perimeter of the yard creating a little race track. I was
going to school and the neighbor told me one day that when I was gone Droo sat
on the bottom step and howled the entire time.
So I left him in the house when I was gone, but that just made him more
miserable. So I took him to school with me but that didn’t go over very well.
He was not happy waiting for me in the truck or outside the classroom and not
all the professors were fond of a dog in the classroom. I decided he needed a
sister. I went to the animal shelter and found Cloe. The sweetest, cutest
little Pekingese-mix ever! Cloe and I fell in love with each other instantly.
And Droo hated her! She had to break him
down and it took a while, but he eventually loved her. The 3 of us struggled through some hard
times. There were times we lived on a loaf of bread and peanut butter for a week
(yes, all 3 of us). And we didn’t have heat so when it got cold we all snuggled
together in the bed with every blanket and even the towels on us. But we also
went to the beach all the time and when I had gas money we drove! Droo has always
been my copilot. He rides in the passenger seat and wears the seatbelt just
like a human. He loves to go for drives.
We moved again and lived in an apartment. I was working
12-14 hours a day and Droo never peed in the house. He knew when it was time
for me to be home and if I was late he let everyone know I was missing. When I
got home and opened the door he shot down the stairs to the grass to relieve
his bladder. But he never once had an accident inside. Poor Cloe couldn’t hold
it near as long as Droo. When I was
having a bad flare and couldn’t get out of bed Droo layed with me and wouldn’t
leave my side. He wouldn’t eat. My friends would come let them out for me and
he would run down the stairs, pee, and run back up to be with me.
Over the years we have gone without food AND we have feasted
on fresh lobster we found on the beach. When
the air conditioner quit on the hottest day of the year at the truckstop (120
degrees) we cooled off with the hose and layed on the tile floor. When we lived
with Crazy Gina we were trapped in the bedroom all day, many days, with her
Nazi dog lying right outside the door waiting to attack us. But whenever we could
get out we went to the park or the beach. When we moved to the apartment in
Reseda we had to go down the hall and down the stairs to go outside. I was on
crutches and Droo would take himself down the stairs, wait patiently for me, do
his business and go back up the stairs. A couple of times he got confused how
many stairs to go up and went to the 3rd floor but he just made
friends with the neighbors and came back. It didn’t take long for everyone to
know Droo. But that’s where he got bit for the first time. In the 3 months we
lived there he was bit in the face 3 times by a nasty little dog. Poor Droo was so good, just walking with me
and this mean little thing just comes running out and bites him in the face!
Droo was always on a leash! People who have nasty little dogs not on leashes
are BAD!
Droo is 10-1/2 years old now. Through all the moves and all
the craziness, good times and bad, Droo has been my copilot, my protector, my
Angel boy. He’s always loved beaches,
parks and long drives, so driving across the country to live at a park on a
lake is just about the best thing I could think of. Even if he doesn’t get to sleep on the bed
with me anymore.
