Dakota was just a handful of fluff and fur the first time I saw him. He stayed back in the dog house whils littermates all came to see me. He howled and cried all the way home. I thought to myself “He will never take to going for car rides.”
Well, I was wrong. Dakota grew strong and big and you could not keep him out of vehicles. He even got in the postal and UPS trucks to go for rides. I taught him in German and the ride command was “zum Auto.” I could not use zum in anything – if I did he was at the front door yelping and whining with joy (he seldom barked.) When he rode in the truck, he had to place his ffront feet on the transmission hump and rest his chin on the dashboard. And he always wanted
his head to be outside the window.
When he was just a few months old, one of horses accidently stepped on his back leg. It was broken or anything but what I did not know at the time was that his ACL was torn. Dakota developed severe arthritis in that leg which caused arthritis in his back. This then caused pressure on his spinal cord (over the course of 10 years) I finally had to release him from his pain. The day I did he looked so miserable. But when the vet stuck the needle in to inject the medicine, he just lay there like he knew he was going to be relieved of all his suffering.
Dakota, I miss you so much and
I am so sorry I caused you
to hurt for so long.
Daddy loves you with all his heart,
| Dakota |
| Joe Vaughn |