The Way It All Began

All portraits by Addren Doss Fine Art

This is Josh (above).  He was Mama’s very first Scottie.  She drove round trip to Knoxville to get him. He was a gift, and at the time,  was being boarded in a kennel there. Mama was told that he was the only Scottie in the Kennel wearing a collar.  She couldn’t get the Kennel lights to turn on, so she went to every run, and felt everybody’s neck, until she came to Josh.  Then, the gate wouldn’t open, so she climbed over, picked him up, climbed back over, and they got out of that situation.   She said “Want to blow this popscicle shack?” And he did.  He hopped right in the back seat, and then worked his way to the front. Mama had brought a crate, but Josh said he didn’t need it, he would just sit in the passenger seat and be just fine.  And he was.  Mama and Josh had wonderful  times together for quite a few years,  until he developed Addison’s.  They struggled with that until  Josh  said that they had done all that could be done, and he was ready for the Bridge.  So Mama bought him a ticket and cried the Grand Canyon twenty gazillion times over.  After an extended period of sadness, Mama was given another gift by the same friends.

His name was Noah.

Mama and PawPaw drove to Nashville to get Noah.  They spent the night going to and from Nashville  at the only  Motel they could find that accepted dogs.   It was in Newport, on the North Carolina side of Knoxville…..they new nothing about Newport other than they could all spend the night. After picking up Noah,  Mama went towards the kitchen area to get Noah a bowl, and was told not to go in, there was a Church service going on and they “hadn’t put the snakes away yet.”  Even Mama was floored…”Snakes?  Really??????  I mean REALLY ???. “Oh yes, snakes”, said the Clerk. ” This is a snake handling town”.  Mama went back to the room and told PawPaw that they needed to leave for home just as soon as they woke up the next morning.  And they did.  Noah and Mama had many happy years together.

One day, a lady ran a red light and T Boned Mama.  This is what her Volvo looked like after everything was said and done.  So Mama had to be away from Noah for several weeks, although towards the end, he was allowed to visit her in hospital.  Then, when she got home, he only left her bedside to go for a walk or to tinkle.

Finally, Mama could get up and practice walking with a walker, then walk  on her own. .  Noah was right there.  About three months after Mama started walking and driving again, she felt that something was wrong with Noah, but she couldn’t put her finger on it, so they went off to Dr. Pokey’s.  Mama could hear him saying, ” SHIT SHIT SHIT”  from behind the door .  He came in, told Mama that Noah had a bladder full of tumors, and they needed to go to the Specialty Vet.  And so  they did.  24 hours after being admitted, Noah told Mama that he needed to go to the Bridge.  So she bought him a ticket, came home and had the biggest meltdown PawPaw had ever seen.  This went on for months.  Finally, Mama said she was ready for another dog, and she was pawsitive she wanted another Scottie.  So the same friends who had given her Josh and Noah put her in touch with the Alabama Scottish Terrier Rescue Association, and voila, one rainy day when Mama had really been emotional, her phone rang and long story short, I was available, and when could she and PawPaw come get me?

They  got in PawPaw’s car and drove to Atlanta to pick me up.  I wasn’t feeling so hot, because I had been surrendered to Dr Pokey, then chipped, neutered and had a raging ear infection.  My Auntie Kate, who I was surrendered to, visited me several times, and really liked me, so she emailed back and forth with Mama, telling her how sweet I was.  But that morning, when they came to pick me up first thing at Dr. Light’s, I was a limp noodle. Mama stopped by my crate and told me that things were going to get better, but I was in a daze. Also, the woman who surrendered me didn’t like the Scottie cut, so I had been groomed like a Westie! I did look pretty strange and was greasy from the ear meds, but they didn’t seem to care.  Mama wrote the Vet a check,   PawPaw picked me up, put me in Noah’s crate in the back of  the Tahoe and away we went.  I wouldn’t drink any water, and barely tinkled on the way home. I was very aloof.  But once we got home, I perked up.  Mama sez I ran up the stairs, jumped on their bed, ran downstairs, bounced on all the furniture that I could get on…..I was transformed!   The very first day I was home alone with PawPaw, he  forgot I was there,  and left a door to the outside cracked.  I was out like a shot.  The poor man spent an hour looking for me and trying to figure out how he was going to tell Mama that her dog was gone.  But when he got back home, there I was, sitting in the front yard waiting on him.  I had just wanted to check out my new neighborhood! Happily, he did see the humor….I think he was just flat relieved frankly.    Initially, I did favor PawPaw, because he was at home with me all day, and slipped me treats.  Mama was good for paying the Vet bills, buying my food and such.  NOTE: Until she came up with my name, she called me George, and I was down with that.  Neither of us liked my original name.  But we all liked the name she came up with ( she said she had to be around me to create a name). Little did we know,  after just a very  few months, PawPaw asked to go to the Bridge (he had been very ill) and Mama bought him a ticket.   From that time on, it has been  us two.  We were  very sad together for a very long time (we are doing some better, but boy, has it been hard work, even with all of our dear friends)   Now that I think about it, Fate must have put us together,  based on the timing and all, cause we turned out to be  like peas and carrots ! Thanks Auntie Frances and Auntie Kate !

I am a very good traveler and guest, so we are on the go a lot. This  past Summer, I was described to be  “very chill”.  Well,  that’s my story.  Mama hopes we can hang together for many more years, and I do too.  That woman is flat crazy sometimes, and she needs me to calm her down.   I went from being a little dog with a bad ear infection with no home, to a little dog with a home,  tons of  wonderful friends, a Facebook page,  and a blog!  I think everything worked out just fine!

Till next time,

Skyler Braveheart