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laika
'with a star in her tail'
17 oct 1989 -
12 mar 1999
AKC: WG375822
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"my heart has joined the thousand,
for my friend stopped running today"
richard adams, watership down |
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Laika was my first Samoyed and my first dog. Ever since I saw the photograph of a Samoyed in an AKC book, I knew
this was the breed for me -- that smile, that plumed tail, that attitude that said "I'm ready for anything: fun, work,
and by the way, feel free to throw your worst winter at me too." Laika was a gift from my now ex-wife. (How many of us
have dog relationships that outlasted human relationships? Come on, raise your hand.) She wouldn't have lasted 5
seconds in a show ring but neither of us minded. She was my true companion, eager to greet me at the door and always up
for a long walk or a game of fetch. At the time I was living in North Carolina and our winters tended towards
ice rather than snow but we enjoyed the occasional snowfall, pretending we lived up north somewhere.
I built my first web page for her, starting me down a path that would lead to me doing web-programming full-time for money. I became
interested in day-hiking with her, from which I found other fun things to do outside in the company of dogs.
She taught me to not take myself too seriously, that the true priorities in life lie outside of school and work.
When she died suddenly, at the too-young age of nine, I was devastated. I had never known the death of a soul so close
to me. She was my friend, my playmate, my little piece of winter in the seemingly endless summers of the south. I still miss her.
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