Zeus

30 October 1999 – 2 February 2014

we adopted Zeus almost 2 years ago on 15 February 2012. he was 12 years old, arthritic, and grumpy.

his original owner died suddenly and no one would adopt him. he’d been in the shelter for almost 3 months.

makes sense. he’d be a lot of work. many won’t take care of an elderly dog with existing terminal conditions. . . especially one who nips at people he doesn’t like or who try to touch him when he doesn’t invite it.

my husband saw his photo, showed it to me, and we left for the shelter. it was 4 hours away.

when we showed, they brought him out and he huffed at my husband.

they apologised to him, tried to explain his “temperament”, and offered to let us adopt him for free since they thought he wouldn’t live for very long. I guess he didn’t like them either. perhaps the feeling was mutual.

when I walked up to him, the handler warned me about his nipping. I put out my hand, he nuzzled it and started the yodeling common among malamutes.

we immediately signed the papers, made a donation, and took him home.

I am a sucker for the underdog.

. . .and he quite literally was.

zeus lived for almost 2 more years.

I’d share a lot more, but the truth is: no one wanted him except me. no one understood why I loved that grumpy little bastard so much. he made a mess wherever he went. he was demanding, drooled all over the place, and wouldn’t let anyone touch him. the vet even made fun of his pointy head.

but he loved me. he was sweet, gentle, affectionate, and stoic till the very end. I loved him.

. . .and I’ll keep the rest for myself.