My dog (or not really my dog anymore)

My cousin picked up a stray puppy from a rubbish dump. Parents refused to let him keep it, and dog somehow ended up with us. My brother named her Scotty so you can blame him for the crappy name =p All about 10 years plus ago. Not really my dog perhaps because I haven't spent much time home for the last 4 years.

She's a Spitz mongrel. I don't know too much about dogs, but Kahani does and her short description of Spitz is as follows - very loyal but highly independant dogs, capable of spending large amounts of time alone and away but always returning. One of the few dogs breeds that values human company above food. (sorry if I paraphrase you wrongly heh).

Well that description is certainly true. Sure she's loyal, but she absolutely loves running off on long walks on her own and then returning at odd hours yet never fails to return. She has a special bark she uses to coax us into opening the gate for her. It's instantly recognizable, different from anything else... man... this dog is training US to do what SHE wants =p She doesn't have a problem being ignored for long periods of time, which some dogs absolutely hate, she's quite happy to amuse herself with anything she can find until we turn up. She's ok if we're in close proximity but ignoring her - that's ok, but if we go outstation for a few days she goes ballistic. Normally by running away to my grandparents place and living there, or any other house that will have her. Love her coloration : mostly black (now dark brown with age) with white socks on each paw, white patch down her muzzle and neck and two eyebrows. Almost like she was painted deliberately that way =p

She's really gentle with us but shows an aversion to young children (?) and still has that killer instinct. Probably from growing up and surviving back in her rubbish dump days. She's fast on the kill, off like a shot and snatches up a cat, and I yell at her no! and she immediately complies and drops it but the cat is already dead and lying limply on the ground with no apparent injury. Died of fright is our usual diagnosis of death but I sometimes suspect it's probably a broken neck.

She just dropped into our life out of nowhere. But I guess I am really fond of her. She knows what we want her to do, and it seems she's weighing the decision in her mind whether to obey or not. Like whether to chase our pet rabbits or not (goodness that took awhile to make her understand that rabbits are not food or toys). Or whether to sneak out or not : I swear she gets a really guilty look when we catch her sneaking, and then when coming back she tries to look aloof and unconcerned as if nothing happened.

Right now she's got some problem with her airway, some obstruction. Tumor? Inoperable. She's old. Not much longer to live anyway : probably not long enough until my next visit home. But I know, really know, she's had a happy time with us, better than with (dare I say) the family that didn't want her or living on the streets. Sometimes, dogs seem more human than people do.

I'm sitting here now closing my eyes and I can imagine what she's like. What she would do if she were sitting at my feet. I heard her on the phone just now. I've always missed her here, but now more so than ever.

*edit* my mom messages me saying, swelling has subsided slightly, no change in breathing though. perhaps it's an abscess, she's on 2 antibiotics if it is, so that one might still work out. *crosses fingers* but you know how i like to prepare for the worst.