Chapter 44....Tlingit

It didn’t take long for Booboo and Tlingit to get along, but ER just never accepted the fact that another male entered the house, and a dog at that!! He came in to eat but growled at Tlingit whenever he got near! ER Didn’t want to come in the house when Tlingit was in, so he slept in the doghouse on the deck!! I tried to give ER his special attention but he just moped around for months! He had been acting sort of sick and one day I came home and found him dead in my spare room. It broke my heart to think that ER died feeling betrayed. I took him to a big old growth tree at work and buried him under it.
Back to that dog! When I brought Tlingit home he would go to the door and talk to me if he had to go do his business. Remember, I am a cat person, and a dog is just foreign to me. I never heard him bark, just a low talking like noise from his throat. I guess he took my rules seriously! I was at work one day and had Tlingit in the house because I did not have a fence yet, and didn’t want to tie him up out side. I got busy at work and ended up working a 12 hour shift. I got home and when I opened the door Tlingit was right at the door waiting. I got a whiff and knew he had deposited a surprise for me! It wasn’t his fault, I’m sure he held it as long as he could!! I looked around and couldn’t find it. Tlingit looked so ashamed of himself!! I felt so sorry for him. I went to the bathroom and there it was, right on the throw rug in front of the toilet!! Great!! I threw rug and all in the trash!! I have such a weak stomach that I gag thinking of picking up dog poop!!
On Saturday I took him to where I work and closed the gates and let him run free in the yard. I was in my office and he would come in and see me then run like heck. He was happy to run free!! I was sitting at my desk and realized it has been a while since I saw him, so I went outside and called him. No dog. I panicked and looked around and he was no where to be found! I saw a hole under the fence by the dispatch office. My heart sunk!! He dug under and escaped. I called the motel across the street and she said she saw him running by the trees heading to the Brown’s place. I called the Brown’s and he was there! I went there and she had called the dog catcher but I beat the dogcatcher there! Betty said the dog broke her rabbit cage and tore the tarp that was on the cage and her expensive rare black long haired rabbit escaped! The daughter said “no mom, he’s in the grass right there where he always runs to”!! I knew then that I was being used to get a new cage, rabbit and tarp. I took the cage to work and they fixed it for me, I bought her a new tarp and gave her $20.00 to buy her new rabbit. When I took the stuff to her I noticed a black rabbit and mentioned it, and she said oh, that is a new one!! Yeah, right! I hope she can live with herself for being so dishonest!!
On Sunday I took Tlingit to the Bus Barn where I work and closed all the gates and tossed a frisbee as far as I could, so he could get some running exercise. He ran to his hearts delight and ran right past the Frisbee clear to the end of the yard, dug a hole in 2 seconds flat and out to freedom he ran!! I was shocked and at the same time felt stupid, then I laughed, then I panicked!! I got in my Jeep and drove to Betty’s house and beat him there!! He got in the Jeep and looked at me as if to say, that was fun!!
I found out quick that Siberians are escape artists and love their freedom. We were a perfect match as I love my freedom too!!
When Tlingit was in the Jeep with me he would whimper if we passed some young teenage boys. I guessed that he must have been raised by a family with young boys. He was found running free by the Junior High School in Stanwood. I called the Vets in the town where I got Tlingit and found the vet that knew him. He couldn’t tell me any information about the family that used to have him but told me he was a two year old Husky/Malamute mix. His family had moved from the area, so I had him now. Tlingit was beautiful inside and out! He looked more like a wolf than a dog. He was black and white with brown in patches, his eyes were lined in black and his eyes were an icy light blue, almost white!! He would howl when left alone.
I was sitting at my computer one night and I opened an email that someone sent me that sounded like a dog/cat fight the dog barking and the cat screaming. Tlingit heard that and ran up to the computer and threw his head back and started howling!! He howled for about 15 minutes!! I laughed so hard I hurt!!
Tlingit never begged. He would lay right next to me when I ate watching every bite I took. His eyes would move, but his head lay on his paws. He could talk with his eyes and eyebrows!! If I offered him a bite he would get up and tenderly take it from my hand. I rarely eat pizza but one night I was eating some pizza and just threw the crust in the air and he caught it. He was like radar! He never begged but he would be there if anything dropped. I had the cleanest kitchen floor!!
Tlingit was a great camping buddy!! I tried letting him sleep in the camper but there was too much condensation from his heavy breathing (I seem to do that to guys). So I tied him up to the bumper of the trailer and he slept directly under the bed I slept on. He was my protector. After a few years we became soul mates. We could carry on conversations just by looking at each other and thinking it. He certainly was a character. I would walk to the local AA meeting and tie him up outside and I could hear him mournfully howling until I went back out to him. He was a great man magnet!!

Tomorrow, 1996