Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004
<petlove.promos@>
Dearest JoAnna All Of The Wild Things,

I am sorry for not writing home sooner but the world has turned out to be a very big place with lots of things to see and do. In addition, this silly device never seems to get left on anymore without one of my companions using it.

Let me see where should I start? Perhaps it is best to begin with some of my new "four-legger" friends that I have met. There are lots of new acquaintances at the school that I now attend every Saturday. Not to mention the loads of new acquaintances that I meet at the Dog Park. I have enclosed a few photos of the more popular ones. Britney, the Great Dane is a wonderful pal. She and I get to spend a little quality time before school starts and sometimes after also. Britney and Domino, a Lab mix I believe, have a great time socializing and talking about how our week has been with our "two-legger" companions.&

And then there is Zen. Not me, it is another Zen (his name is just Zen not Zen Tao like me), and he is the same age as I am.  We have great fun together at school and he even brings his "two-legger" companion Kai, to the new dog park in town that I wrote to you about earlier.

I have included pictures of my new friend and I running and tussling about at the park. We do not get to spend a lot of time at school socializing. Geri, the instructor, always has something going on and there are always routines to practice.Most of us are hoping that our "two-legger" companions catch on and start learning quick.I feel very lucky because Big Dog And Lady Dog seem to have most of the learning already done and are really understanding about being patient. Some of my other friends are not so lucky. Their companions just do not seem to be getting it very well. Why is it that they are considered to be smarter than us? It sure seems to take some of them quite a while to learn, even after their "four-legger" companions have already got it.

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I think that I already mentioned Taiko, the Jack Russell, who has Big Dog's Sister, Heather, for a "two-legger" companion. Taiko come to visit while Auntie Dog (Heather), comes to record at the studio with Big Dog. We get to have lots of fun and even manage to get into a little trouble when everyone else is busy. Well, what can I say; we all have to have fun sometimes. It took me a while to work it out in my head but I think I have finally figured out why Taiko keeps getting smaller every time he comes to visit. When I first met him he was actually bigger than me and now I seem to tower over him.At first I thought that it might be the fact that we play in the sprinklers together and that he was not pre-shrunk. Well that did not turn out to be the case.Then I thought that perhaps he was not being fed enough. This was not the case either. I really did not figure it out until I saw a new bigger Husky in the house. He was in the bedroom all the time. And the funny thing was that whenever I was there he was there too, but he was never any where else in the house. And to complicate matters he insisted on doing everything I did. Copying me in fact. Funny thing though, he was only in the reflective window in the bedroom. After a little bit I realized that the reflective window is called a mirror and that the bigger Husky was in fact me!!! Wow, have I grown up. I feel a bit like the ugly duckling story except that I have always been cute right from the start, (according to my companions of course), and now I'm just a grown up kinda cute (handsome, as I like to be referred to). I have included a picture of Taiko and me together and you can see the size difference.Big Dog also had me include the picture, "Zen in Kitchen", to show all of you how much I have grown and matured. I weigh 41+ pounds and I can out run any of the dogs at school or at the park.

As I said before, school is really fun and there are lots of new and exciting things to do. One of the things I have really grown to like is what my companions call "agility training". It's kind of like a military combat course without all the risks of getting shot at. I have enclosed several pictures of some of the "obstacles" that I must do in order to complete the course each school day. Big Dog even has some of the "obstacles" at home where I can practice ahead of time. I understand that my predecessor, Aero, was very good at agility. But then he was a Husky too.Some of the others at school have a real rough time with the agility course and some do not get very good support from their "two-legger" companions. But there again I seem to be very lucky because Big Dog And Lady Dog seem to have it all together already and give me all kinds of positive support and encouragement. That sure makes things allot more comfortable.
*

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And now I get to proudly tell you of one of my accomplishments. Just recently, there was a situation that required me to be "all that I can" as Big Dog puts it. Big Dog and I were home alone (Lady Dog has to leave to go to work), and we were playing our "rough house and biting" game on the living room floor.We had been playing for several minutes when I noticed that Big Dog was having some kind of serious problem. He did not seem to be able to catch his breath and he struggled for a little bit and then collapsed on the floor and refused to move.; At first I did not know what to do. I thought it might be some type of new game. But then I realized that there was a very serious problem with Big Dog. I thought about what to do for a bit and then decided to stay with him and lay there to comfort and protect him until help arrived. I would periodically give a loud bark to anyone who might hear me. I stayed with him quite a long while and continued to comfort and protect him and give him as much of my life energy as I could.After a while, Lady Dog arrived home and told her everything that happened in detail. She was very pleased and tended to Big Dog and helped him administer his needed medications.In a little while Big Dog was back up and almost normal again. For my actions I was awarded the "Big Bone Medal Of Honor" and given a special Salmon dinner.I have included a picture of me waiting to receive my Salmon. I always know what is in the dish even when they keep it up on the counter. I know Salmon when I smell it. As a result of my heroic efforts I am allowed to sleep out now in the bedroom and I do not have to go into my crate (which is now four sizes larger than the original one I arrived in). I can sleep anywhere I choose, and I can even sleep up on the bed with the rest of the pack if I so desire. I do start out on the bed with the pack for their comfort and peace of mind but after they have fallen asleep I get off and find a nice place on my hammock or by the open sliding door that looks out over the river.  They both toss and turn a lot, and I like to stretch out. Now I am known throughout the neighborhood as the"Hero Husky". I think that it has really sealed my friendship with my two new companions, not that it was needed. I just did what any good pack member would do.  Big Dog and Lady Dog are the best companions a Husky could ever have and you must look out for your companions.

I do hope all is well at home and that the Wild Things are fine I hope that by now any of your discomfort from before is gone and that you are back to your normal self. Sometimes late at night, after the rest of the pack is asleep, I look out over the river with the moon shinning down on the water and I think about all of you and home. I do miss home but I could not have asked for a better place to come to These new companions are wonderful, compassionate, and very caring. I often send my thoughts and my love to you JoAnna and to all the Wild Things when Big Dog and I have our daily meditation practices. I have grown to love this place and these people, but every now and then I remember what Dorothy told Toto, "There's no place like home", and I long to be back there. Perhaps someday in the near future you and my new companions can get together.I know they would be willing to take a trip up to see you. The big issue is Big Dog's health. But who knows. I keep making it a desirable wish to be accomplished sometime in the future.

Well, as always I must get back to life on the Umpqua River. As I said, all is good here and I hope that it is the same at home. My love to all of you and I will find a way to write more often even if it requires me to learn how to turn on this device myself. After all, I open the doors by myself now (yes, by turning the handle and pushing). I do learn quickly they say. So until my next letter...