How long will they wait?
Previously I told the story of how my Dad's English shepherd waited in the storm at the broken fence where he left her until he came to release her. Shep was a herding dog, trained and instinctively knowing the importance of staying where she was told to watch and wait.
Kip was a Schipperke, a name which means" little captain".
He was my 30th birthday present. My third baby was allergic to dogs, so the family was without a dog at that time. I had always had a dog and missed their presence very much.
My husband heard about a woman breeding Schipperkes who claimed they were a good choice for people with allergies. The Schipperke is a big dog in a small dog body. Almost cat-like in their attention to cleanliness. They were bred to live on ships.
My husband purchased a 9 week old puppy for my birthday.
He was a wonderful companion to my three small children.
True to the advertising, Kip's presence in the household presented no problem with allergies. He learned rapidly-was
clever and bright. A good thing when I had so little time for training what with three youngters and a full time job outside the home. Kip went to work with me right from the start. My
boss loved dogs and liked having Kip in the office. Kip liked everyone, quietly greeting those who came in. Until one day a
man entered and brushed past me and charged into my boss's office. Kip, all 20 pounds of black fury, flew out from under my desk and grabbed the trouser cuff of the intruder. I dashed into the office and picked up Kip before the angry man could kick him. After the man left, my boss said he might have been fooled
by the man. "But", he said, "I always trust the judgement of a good dog." The man, who had been pushing for a contract for his company, never appeared again.
We had a boat on Lake George which we kept docked at a local marina. On weekends the family would pack up lunch, toys, nap blankets, etc. and go over to the marina , load up the boat,
and head out to spend the day on one of the many delightful islands dotting upper lake George.
In my defense, watching three little ones and loading up all the necessaries for them, I scarcely had time to think about Kip.
Kip left the car and walked down the wharf as I was busy with the children. After about a half hour we were ready. We left the dock and headed out to the islands. We stopped at one. All disembarked and we wandered around for an hour or so, deciding it was not the best place for the children to wade due to
rather steep bank and deep water. So we boarded again and went to another island. This suited us much more. We played in the shallow water on a sandy beach and then ate a late lunch.
As I spread out the nap blankets for the children I realized I had not seen Kip for some time. He loved being on the boat--always hopped aboard whenever we were going out. The children, my husband and I searched and called until it became obvious that Kip was not on that island. Quickly we loaded up the boat with our picnic supplies and headed back to the island we had stopped at first. Again we searched to no avail.
Now it hit me--I had not seen Kip since we left the marina. Many hours had passed. I feared if he had been left behind he would try to return home and that meant crossing several major roads and a trip of about 30 miles. Also he could have wandered around the parking lot at the marina and been hit or picked up by a visitor there.
We returned to the marina as rapidly as the boat could travel.
As we approached the wharf, we saw to our amazement, the form of a small black dog sitting at the end of the wharf, staring out at the water. As soon as we were tied up, Kip bounded aboard the boat where he was hugged and fed treats.
The owner of the marina told us that Kip had sat there all day-
now approximately six hours, never moving, ignoring the attempts of other boaters to get his attention, watching for our boat to return.
Kip has been gone from us for many years. The children are grown and have children of their own. Kip was always glued to his family. Somehow I believe that where ever he has gone, he is watching for us still.
Kip was a Schipperke, a name which means" little captain".
He was my 30th birthday present. My third baby was allergic to dogs, so the family was without a dog at that time. I had always had a dog and missed their presence very much.
My husband heard about a woman breeding Schipperkes who claimed they were a good choice for people with allergies. The Schipperke is a big dog in a small dog body. Almost cat-like in their attention to cleanliness. They were bred to live on ships.
My husband purchased a 9 week old puppy for my birthday.
He was a wonderful companion to my three small children.
True to the advertising, Kip's presence in the household presented no problem with allergies. He learned rapidly-was
clever and bright. A good thing when I had so little time for training what with three youngters and a full time job outside the home. Kip went to work with me right from the start. My
boss loved dogs and liked having Kip in the office. Kip liked everyone, quietly greeting those who came in. Until one day a
man entered and brushed past me and charged into my boss's office. Kip, all 20 pounds of black fury, flew out from under my desk and grabbed the trouser cuff of the intruder. I dashed into the office and picked up Kip before the angry man could kick him. After the man left, my boss said he might have been fooled
by the man. "But", he said, "I always trust the judgement of a good dog." The man, who had been pushing for a contract for his company, never appeared again.
We had a boat on Lake George which we kept docked at a local marina. On weekends the family would pack up lunch, toys, nap blankets, etc. and go over to the marina , load up the boat,
and head out to spend the day on one of the many delightful islands dotting upper lake George.
In my defense, watching three little ones and loading up all the necessaries for them, I scarcely had time to think about Kip.
Kip left the car and walked down the wharf as I was busy with the children. After about a half hour we were ready. We left the dock and headed out to the islands. We stopped at one. All disembarked and we wandered around for an hour or so, deciding it was not the best place for the children to wade due to
rather steep bank and deep water. So we boarded again and went to another island. This suited us much more. We played in the shallow water on a sandy beach and then ate a late lunch.
As I spread out the nap blankets for the children I realized I had not seen Kip for some time. He loved being on the boat--always hopped aboard whenever we were going out. The children, my husband and I searched and called until it became obvious that Kip was not on that island. Quickly we loaded up the boat with our picnic supplies and headed back to the island we had stopped at first. Again we searched to no avail.
Now it hit me--I had not seen Kip since we left the marina. Many hours had passed. I feared if he had been left behind he would try to return home and that meant crossing several major roads and a trip of about 30 miles. Also he could have wandered around the parking lot at the marina and been hit or picked up by a visitor there.
We returned to the marina as rapidly as the boat could travel.
As we approached the wharf, we saw to our amazement, the form of a small black dog sitting at the end of the wharf, staring out at the water. As soon as we were tied up, Kip bounded aboard the boat where he was hugged and fed treats.
The owner of the marina told us that Kip had sat there all day-
now approximately six hours, never moving, ignoring the attempts of other boaters to get his attention, watching for our boat to return.
Kip has been gone from us for many years. The children are grown and have children of their own. Kip was always glued to his family. Somehow I believe that where ever he has gone, he is watching for us still.
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