…Dobermans. Is obsessed really (“got you that time, didn’t I Old Wolf?” 🙂 love you, Old Hag). And I, as her trusty enabler, promised that when her husband died and she could then get another dog (he didn’t want more than one. Which was a complete fib, but never-mind), I would drive her wherever she wanted to get a dobie. I thought the furthest it would be is somewhere in Northern California where a bunch of doberman rescues are or around Seattle. I thought that it would be sometime in the next couple years, but not very soon. That’ll teach me to think, won’t it?
This is Abraham, our half dobie, half german shepherd 100 pounds of fun dog that we had when I was growing up and the reason my mother loves dobermans. I took this picture with my old minolta film camera (which I no longer have 😦 ) I was eating spaghetti and my favorite furry gator was begging (so that is my leg you see in the bottom right of the pic).
Well guess what? My step father died about 2 weeks ago from colon cancer that metastasized to his liver, kidney, and gallbladder. He was 91. In the end, it wasn’t the colon cancer that got him, it was the tumors that grew on his liver. So, if your doc recommends it, GO GET A COLONOSCOPY! It’s not fun (I’ve had 4, and am going in for my 5th next month), but dying from liver cancer (courtesy of your colon cancer that is preventable) is even less fun.
Ok, back from the tangent/rant. The other important piece of information to all this, is that there have been a string of robberies in my mom’s small town lately, the most recent one being her next door neighbors. And my mom’s neighborhood isn’t the greatest at the best of times. She really does need a watchdog (who is also good with her current dog, won’t chase her chickens, cows and horses, and is good with kids and the random family/friends who come in and out. Is my mom picky? Yes. Is she right? …Yes)
See? This is her cow. I wasn’t fibbing.
Anyway, like I said, I thought I was years away from having to keep this promise. Oh how wrong I was.
(8/27) Tuesday night: Drive to my mom’s w/ my sis to sort stuff. Look for a dog online. Find best option and 2 back ups. Go to bed.
(8/28) Wednesday: Call doberman rescue, find out that the dog, Luke, is going to an adoption day event in Hollywood LA that Saturday and, given how awesome he is, will most likely be adopted (and gone by the time we had planned to be there, like next monday). We decide to make a mad break for it, but as I need to be back Friday night, we told the lady we’d be there at 8am Friday morning to look at him/pick him up. Later that day I drive my sister and I home (insert random trapeze in the park photoshoot in there and friend’s going away party).
(8/29) Thursday: I have a private trapeze lesson. My mom drives from her home to my sister’s, then to meet me at the lesson where she and her dog (the adorably dumb mutt Champ) jump in my car and we take off at 11:50am, leaving my sister w/ my mom’s car.
This is Champ. He is not as sad and dignified as he looks in the pics (he’s normally a stick/fetch obsessed hyperactive moron). He was a lovely car dog, but didn’t like traveling so far from home.
(8/30) Friday: Pull over at a gas station in Castaic, CA (just north of Santa Clarita and 6 Flags Magic Mountain) at 2:30am to sleep for 4 hours. Then up again at 6:45am to get coffee and finish driving to Filmore.
I was within sight of 6 Flags and couldn’t go. Never thought I’d want to go there so much as I did then, seeing it in the early morning light.
8:05am we arrive and are welcomed in and do our meet and greet.
8:50am we’re pulling out of the rescue with our new family member, Luke.
11:30pm, we pull into my mom’s place and collapse.
This is Luke. An 8 month old doberman puppy. He is house-trained (mostly), gets along with other animals, is a great watchdog, and loves everyone.
And that’s the story of how I drove about 2265 mi in 5 days (2060 of that in 3 days!), from Oregon to So Cal and back to get a dog for my mum.
P.S: Saturday (8/31), I drove my sister home and went to do an aerial silks shoot with my fabulous friend Kate. More on that soon!
Indiana Jones and the Sea of Infinity 