A few months ago, Katerina requested
an update on how Smiley is enjoying his retirement. I had
neglected to get this done, however after all the e-mails of
Crunchie's wins in the ring this weekend (GO CRUNCH), Smiley
reminded me that he was getting bored with all the talk
being centered on someone other than "Smiley". The
trademark Smiley yawns were being shot directly at me as I
stalked the computer for more good news from California!!!
So Smiley, this is all about YOU!!! Again!!!
Ch. North Wapiti's Guy Smiley -
Smiley - Smiles - Smarty Pants - Goof Ball ... the "Guy" has
many nicknames. Regardless of how we address him, we always
find ourselves saying his name with a hint of glee in our
voice. I'm not sure if it's the name or the woof, but
Smiley has a way of making us laugh in the utmost respectful
way. We are never laughing at Smiley, we are laughing with
him. The boy's mood may be infectious but let's be clear -
he has an agenda. Get the humans on your side then take
them for all they are worth. The sad part is whatever we do
for Smiley and trust me the list is long, we do it willingly
knowing we are fueling the fire. So here are a few Smiley
stories.
Shortly after we brought Smiley
home from the 2006 Fall Warm-up Weekend, he was in the house
for a visit along with a few other woofs. I was sitting in
the living room and I heard Smiley's toes ticking around on
the kitchen floor. Then things got quiet before he came
prancing into the living room carrying a bunch of bananas
that had been on the kitchen counter. He had his head held
high as he proudly carted them around with me in pursuit. I
pretty much had to wrestle them off of him and let's just
say that the bananas lost. Ever since then, bananas go up
"high" in a cupboard.
The next Smiley trick was at
Halloween a month or so after the banana fiasco. One of our
neighbors had given us two small pumpkins from her garden.
Since we aren't avid pumpkin carvers, the little orange
things were left in the porch on the cupboard. One night I
made the mistake of leaving the porch door open (daaaa).
Smiley disappeared for a few minutes then came flying in
from the porch and stopped behind the couch (see a pattern
emerging?). I could hear heavy nasal breathing coming from
the general vicinity of Smiley, so got up quickly to see if
he was in distress. Well yes, he was certainly in
distress. You see it is very hard for a Sibe to breath when
he has a pumpkin the size of a football stuck in his mouth.
He had a good hold on it and when I inquired what he was up
to, he looked up and pranced into the living room, again
head held high, showing off his prized possession. Well,
you can't deny the guy his pride or a little fun. The
pumpkin didn't really have a purpose anyway, so for the next
few weeks until Mr. Jack-O-Lantern was unrecognizable we
played hide-the-pumpkin. Each night the pumpkin had a few
more holes in it - some pretty funky looking holes since Mr.
Smarty Pants' canines have seen their share of wear and
tear.
One last "food" story, then
I'll move on. Raw potatoes are one of Smiley's most
favorite things. We keep a bag of the little round guys in
the porch pantry and EVERY night when Smiley comes in he
finds it necessary to check on them. I'm not sure if he
counts them to make sure none have escaped or what the deal
is, but he noses them around in their bag and if he is so
inclined he might put a few teeth marks in one or two, but
is ever so careful not to do enough damage that he is
forbidden to ever touch the potatoes again. I think he just
plain enjoys checking on his little potato friends. So if
you are ever at our house for a meal, do enjoy the
potatoes!!!
My poor siblings have endured
my love of Sibes for most of my adult life. They are polite
and patient with my addiction but they don't see the dogs
often enough to get to know which dog is which. They hear
the stories though ... all too often. My sister Kathy came
out to our place to stay overnight before we headed out for
a "girl weekend". I had to go to work for a few hours
before we could run off, so she said she'd hold the fort
until I got back. We agreed that she could bring a couple
of dogs into the house for some quality time. I had been at
work about an hour when my phone rang and it was Kathy. She
had done something weird with the t.v. and needed some help
getting things back on track. While she had me on the phone
she said she had two dogs in the house and she wasn't sure
which two, but one of them was sitting on the chair in the
livin groom staring at her to the point that it was making
her uncomfortable. I was pretty sure I knew who the culprit
was. When I asked if he was all white with a bit of
grey/black on his face and two beady brown eyes, she replied
"yeah which one is that?". I said, "his name is Smiley and
apparently because you don't know his name you are not
worthy of his affection". She laughed and said "Smiley is
that you?" Apparently, he bounced off of the chair and that
was that. She later told me that the two of them had toast
and jam together on the couch and watched Oprah. PLEASE.
There are many more Smiley
stories but I'll stop now. It's hard to believe that it's
been just over a year since we brought Smiley into our
home. I knew at the time that Karen's decision to let
Smiley come and live with us was a great compliment but also
a great responsibility. It would be an understatement to
say we are enjoying him. We celebrated his 11th birthday
this summer. He wore a shiny silver party hat with
"birthday boy" written in blue (you can see a photo on the
NW main page). He allowed a couple of photos then ripped
the hat to shreds. All the dogs enjoyed cinnamon buns
and of course, Smiley got the first one. He snatched it
from my hand as I was attempting to break it into pieces.
Yes, Smiles I got the message. You are a big boy and don't
need your food cut up for you. He is a picture of health
and happiness and we look forward to many more birthday
celebrations. This Fall he is teaching Blaze and Sparky to
be lead dogs. He gives them homework every day and they
have to bring him a banana if they need to suck up to the
teacher (an apple would just be too mainstream for Smiles).
So Katerina, I hope you agree
that it sounds like Smiley is enjoying his retirement.
Smiley has authorized me to share a couple of photos with
you. Enjoy!!!
Until next time,
Colleen Hovind
