by R L Bradberry

Created on: June 27, 2008   Last Updated: October 26, 2009

On a recent road trip to Niagara Falls I indulged-even in this dragging economy. The day was sunny and warm, the car freshly washed, so I opened her up rolling down the escarpment toward the charming village of Lewiston. Sliding onto main street after the short but exhilarating ride, I spied a favorite haunt. It called to me like a siren and my little car found its way over to The Cat.

"The Cat", formally known as the Orange Cat Coffee Company, is an offbeat labor of love by proprietors, Michael and Robin, and well-loved for its impeccable coffees and scrumptious healthful recipes. It also received the 2008 Lewiston Business of the Year-an award well-deserved. I craved the combination of interesting patrons and a special coffee, along with one of Michaels deliciously massive molasses cookies, to top my afternoon. I climbed out of my car and started up the short slope.

Just to the left of my path was a beautiful dog, a type which I had never seen before. Pristine snow white, with beautiful, knowing eyes, she regarded me with a regal intelligence, allowing me to approach. Her Person was seated in a chair on the patio near the crest of the knoll where she lay. I approached cautiously-a lesson painfully learned when I was five and caught the teeth of a large German shepherd sinking into the left side of my face-and asked if she were friendly. Her Person looked up from his book, smiled, and affirmed she was gentle, offering us a chance to pet this lovely animal.

Her name is Nikita, and she is an arctic wolf. Her Person, Dave, sat nearby holding his smoldering dark-leafed cigar and folded his book closed. His affable manner welcomed the opportunity to chat and he began to speak of Her. He was never a dog person, he explained. Didn't want one. But the family got Her anyway, supposedly for his son. He was not a fan of this new family member at first, but smiled as he remembered that after the first two weeks his heart was gone: "she was MY dog". Nikita loved the family but had chosen him as her Person.

That was ten years ago.

Now, on the slope outside The Cat, dappled by the summer sun, Nikita regarded the world around her as a queen regards her subjects. Her care obvious in her well-groomed coat, she has not wanted for anything in the life she has led. Dave went on to describe how smart she is, how she knows "at least 200 words" and "we have to spell some", he chuckled. She loves to boat, and she jet skis. He has taken her almost everywhere, and when he does not take

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>