Have you ever seen a dog run in their sleep? A little motion from the front paws, a quiver of a cheek muscle - signs that a dog is dreaming. I imagine Vegas is having dreams of chasing squirrels on fences, an untended hamburger, swimming in a sea of tennis balls. The thing is, Vegas does not dream with tender quivers of paws, Vegas dreams with a full out run. I do not exaggerate about this fact (like most others). I had a call one day from the day care she attends (yes she does attend the day care twice a week and LOVES it) by a concerned (new) staffer who was sure she was having a seizure, so violent she becomes in her sleep. By day, mild mannered Golden Retriever, by night - I believe in her dreams she becomes a Whippet. She leaps in the air with grace for the frisbee, retrieves tennis balls from the forest tree tops and does so with such speed that she is but a blur.
Sweet Vegas in real life is no Whippet. She drags her back paws ever so slightly due to a congenital abnormality and she struggles with standing and stairs on bad days. There is no indication of pain so far. Today when I dropped them off at school there was another woman who had just dropped her big dog off and Vegas went up to the woman, big head raised wagging her whole self and saying with undeniable joy, "I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE!!" For that moment, she brought perfect love and acceptance to a complete stranger.
Never underestimate the power of a gentle nuzzle or a big dream.
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Buddy
Buddy the black lab. My parent’s older of two black labs. Mom named Buddy shortly after he came to live with us. Why "Buddy" ...
My fondest memory of Vegas was when her best friend and my best friend traveled the long and winding roads (and "hills") from the state of Florida to the state of Iowa. Traveling through various states, following the Mississippi River through each state, Vegas' manners were impeccable the entire trip. That is, of course until we reached our final destination in Iowa. There was a special meaning to Vegas in getting off at exit number '242'. I hope that some day she will whisper to all of us what that special meaning was. Best friends come in all sizes, shapes, and forms and they are for life.
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