Stump, the Dog

Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of getting a dog. Who, in second grade, wrote stories about how spring is her favorite season because her dad said it was a good time to get a dog, and that red was her favorite color because her cousin's dog was named Red. 

And then, once upon a time there was a dog that came along to grow up with that girl.

His name was Boomer. Her name... you guessed... was Colleen.

From second grade to college, Boomer "Chewy" Hart was my best friend. He was a pure bred Cocker Spaniel... And not that I'm partial, but Boomer had the cutest face of any other in his breed. Those eyes were irresistible... even if he was waking you up in the middle of the night. His curly, floppy ears fell down in his face, often victim to snow chunks, cement, leaves... and the worst... water.

He, like most animals, had his quirks. He licked... yes, licked... the refrigerator when he was hungry... nervous... bored... etc. My mom literally had to wipe the refrigerator down daily so it wouldn't stain. He insisted on rubbing his eye gook (Cocker Spaniel curse) on your nice black pants. He took on raccoons one year when he found the neighbors stash of leftover food in their backyard (who feeds raccoons, anyways... weird). And as he got older, he stopped wanting to go on long walks... and would literally lay down in the middle of the road. A couple times I carried all 40 pounds of him home.

But he loved us. He wished he was just an itty bit smaller, because nothing made him more happy than a good ear rub as he laid on your lap. Every morning he would wait, with his chin on the bottom stair, until finally I, the last one to get ready, came down stairs. At 3:30, like clockwork, he would run to the window and wait for me to come home from school. And when you opened the back door, his little nose would inch its way out to greet you. And his stump tail would wag so much that it became a full-out rapid butt rotation. My mom's famous quote, "No boy will ever be as happy to see you as Boomer." So true. So true.

So, today, when I heard about Stump, the Dog who won Best of Show at the Sussex dog show... I couldn't help but think about Boomer. Although this dog has nothing on Boomer, he is 10 years old... 70 in dog years... and still rockin it. He's like Dean Martin.... or Audrey Hepburn... ageless.

Way to go, Stump.... Boomer would be proud (or sleeping...)... but deep down... totally proud.

Do you have a Stump in your life? Tell on...