Small Fry

I explained it to St. Peter,
I'd rather stay here, outside the pearly gate.
I won't be a nuisance, I won't even bark.
I'll be very patient and wait.
I'll be here chewing on a celestial bone
No matter how long you may be.
I'd miss you so much, if I went in alone.
It wouldn't be heaven for me.

unknown author; but it could be Small Fry

Small Fry the Wonderdog

My best friend Small Fry passed over yesterday...

Small Fry's follies, Mark and Amy, are dear follies and the five of us have spent many wonderful days and nights together, camping, barbequeing, watching movies, watering the orchard at the farm... memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Small Fry was dumped in a McDonald's parking lot in Kanab, Utah as a pup, thus the name "Small Fry". "Big Mac" was among her siblings, and I'm not sure, but there may have been a "McRib" as well.

The litter was picked up by Best Friends, the nation's largest no-kill animal shelter, in December 2002. After almost a year, Amy and Mark adopted Small Fry in October of 2003. She was truly, a Wonderdog. She was look-you-straight-in-the-eye smart, had more energy than most I've known, and was a wise soul.

My folly came and gave me a couple of hugs yesterday after I received the news. She doesn't think I understand, of course, but we know these things.

Small Fry, we miss you!

Shiprock's Folly

At times I feel as if I am Shiprock's folly. Shiprock is my Navajo mixed breed friendotherwise known as Ship, Shipper, Rocker, Rock, Shipwreck, Shadrack, Slickrock, and on occasion, Sheetrock. I've been his experiment, his successful experiment, to his amusement and to my ultimate benefit. This is his blog.

Like most "best friends", Shipper came into my life unexpectedly. A native of the Navajo Nation, hearrived quite dramatically into my life. Found on highway 491 just outside of Shiprock New Mexico just before Thanksgiving, 1999, Shiprock was an estimated six months old, emaciated, and paralyzed with infection. My dear friend Steve, who loves dogs more than people, picked Shiprock out of the gutter, despite being deathly allergic to dogs, and brought him to Telluride.

Ship had an injury which opened the underside of his jaw exposing the inside of his mouth, rendering him incapable of swallowing water before it came dribbling out from his chin. The infection was so pungent that he was relegated to the garage and I slept out there with him for three days to keep him from crying… his first successful experiment realized. With the compassionate and capable treatment of Lisa Malloy, Shiprock would survive to become the KOTO Dog Trick winner of 2001, and a contestant for “Dogs are People Too”.

Little did Shiprock know, that this was the day he won the lottery. He entered into dog heaven. He reached the Promised Land. This is exactly what Telluride is – a dog (gone) paradise. Little did I know, that Shiprock would at a minimum save me from a possible lonely lethargic existence, and deliver me to a place where I too can sometimes truly appreciate the paradise that is Telluride. How could I know that Shiprock’s Folly would keep me sane, healthy and alive?