by Ronda Claire

Created on: August 13, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Beeeeeeeeep! To You, Too, Buddy!

The story of Shamu and Max being a more permanent part of my life is too long to share here. Suffice to say that Shamu part Shih Tsu and Terrier and Max part Shih Tsu and Poodle have been an integral part of my life since I met them.

They lived across the alley from me, and their owner allowed them to come over frequently to spend the night (or several nights) with my best friend and I. She and Max shared a birthday and I met Shamu on my birthday so that was another reason for bonding.

Almost from the beginning the dogs were in the car with us. If we'd drive through Dairy Queen or McDonald's they went along. If I borrowed Mary's car for the day to get work done, they'd ride with me to pick her up in the afternoon. If we went grocery shopping on Sunday morning and I didn't have anything to buy, we'd go along for the ride and sit in the car.

Shamu was probably about four months old and cute as a button. He was a great car dog, and Max wasn't bad either. Max would usually find his way to the back windshield and lay there like a stuffed animal whether the car was moving or not. A couple of times in the grocery store parking lot he scared the daylights out of people who would point at him and start to say "isn't he cute?" thinking he was stuffed. He'd move and bark and they'd back off, and all of us would go into a giggle fit.

Shamu, because we were forever saying how adorable he was, decided that indeed he must be a pretty cute puppy. He just loved it when someone would go past the car and say "oh how cute!" or "look at the cute dog" or at drive through window when a worker would say "will ya look at that dog? He's actually smiling!" and give him a Milk Bone treat.

He thought he was pretty special until the morning someone went past the car and just stared at him like he was nothing special.

I've never seen a dog look so sad. So I cuddled him and said we'd just get even with the mean man. Now, I don't mean going after him, or calling him names, but something would happen and it would even the score.

"I told you, sweetie, that not everyone likes dogs like mommy and daddy and Mary and me. Just ignore that man. He's just not a nice dog person. We'll get him."

Well, this was about the time that Shamu had discovered the driver's seat. When Mary wasn't sitting there, he was standing there. And he also discovered the steering wheel. So he'd stand up with his paws on the middle part where the horn is.

Do you see this one coming? :-)

I SWEAR TO GOD

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