Shane, a 14 year old yellow Labrador Retriever, travelled over the rainbow bridge this past week. He was born in July 2005, on a farm about a 45 minute drive north of Regina. Shane is survived by his two human parents and two cat siblings. The cats tolerated Shane, with the male cat talking to him on a daily basis and from time to time the female would give him a gentle swat to remind him of her superiority.
He was five months old, it was the day after Boxing Day, when he found his forever home. His other siblings except for one had already found their homes. His other sibling, Murphy, ended up being adopted the following day. By chance, they shared the same veterinarian so we were able to get in touch and have occasional visits when they were still young. Shane came to live with an aging female border collie and two cats. The border collie tolerated him, would like to herd him and there was a power struggle at times about who was the leader.
The original two cats passed away and two new cats came to live with Shane. No one missed a step.
Shane grew into a 70 plus pound linebacker, not tall, but rough and sturdy. He prided himself on his toughness, determination and stubbornness. He loved routine and expected us to fall in line with the routines of walking, eating, playing, going for coffee, snack time, bathroom breaks and wake up times.
Getting a good education is important and Shane attended a number of courses over the years and received certificates which are proudly filed in a folder. He repeated a grade and went through basic obedience 101 twice before advancing to obedience 102. His last schooling was spent with an agility league and he certainly didn’t win any awards doing that. His true destiny might have been directed to tracking or being a food inspection dog at customs.
Going for walks was a must and there were certain paths and routes that were more desirable for him. The rabbits in the neighbourhood didn’t tempt him but the squirrels and gophers were an irritant. They were a taunt to him and he was never shy about showing his ability to go after them. Shane was a very friendly dog and was popular on the walking paths. Everyone got to know him. One woman who adored Shane and couldn't have dogs at home because of family allergies would always carry dog cookies with her in anticipation of seeing Shane. One time she forgot cookies and we had to walk to her home so that she could give Shane some cookies. It got to the point when Shane's eyes were bad that he figured any woman in the distance who may resemble this particular individual should be carrying cookies on her.
Shane loved a number of things:
- The smells of the locally protected environmental lands. Going for a walk on this land was of immense pleasure to him and it was a triple pleasure if he could find something to roll in that had a particular stinky smell. There were several occasions where a bucket of warm soapy water was required to wash him off when we got home. In winter time you were able to walk on the frozen creek and he enjoyed those walks. Coyotes didn’t bother him and he kept his cool if we ever saw one in the distance. One instance did create a situation for us. It was very early spring and Shane went out onto the ice on a narrow and shallow creek bed and broke through the ice. It wasn’t deep and I worried about how he would get to shore. In my wisdom I crawled out onto the creek and went through. I was dressed in a winter parka and boots. We both quickly got to shore and walked back home dripping wet. I had my friend with me who was walking our old border collie. No harm was done but we both learned a lesson in this one. No off leash for Shane at this time of year and no crawling out on the ice for me.
- How many things can a dog carry in their mouth. Being a retriever requires one to carry something in their mouths. The favourites were tennis balls, kongs, donut rings, or rope tugs. Getting a few donut rings in ones mouth along with a tennis ball was an important accomplishment. Shane usually carried a ball in his mouth while out for a walk and this would result in a throw and retrieve session until he tired out. You can’t fault him for being strategic in carrying a ball with the hope of playing ball as part of the outing.
- Having a daily cool off in the fish pond. There is a fair size man-made fish pond in the backyard that had Koi in the early years of the pond. No matter how the pond was barricaded from Shane from a five foot high snow fence or using a shock collar, Shane was determined to get in that pond. Every year we would set up a personal kiddie pool for Shane but standing or lying in the fish pond was heaven for him. It didn’t matter if there were fish in the pond. In Shane’s early years, he would pull up containers of pond plants and haul them out of the pond. The pond also served as his personal water bowl.
- Shoes, socks, hats and gloves. The humans got well trained from the start to put away in closets or drawers, all forms of temptation. There were some casualties and he had a preference for female footwear. To do this day, no shoe is left unattended.
- Food. Shane could smell the whiff of peanut butter from an open jar even if he was not in the same room. The crack of a banana being peeled would catch his ears. Almost every day Shane would share a banana in the morning after he had his own breakfast. I think we bought bananas more for Shane than us. His top six foods were carrots, bananas, cheese, ice cream, the core from a head of lettuce, toast and any animal protein. Shane was fond of picking cucumbers off of the vines and digging for carrots in the garden. He was also a counter surfer and early on we learned to not leave food unattended on the counters. He even helped himself to some appetizers for a dinner party one time. He had no shame.
- Car rides. Shane dictated the kind of car one needed. To be a constant companion while in the car required his own personal space with enough room to stretch out. Plus there was the shedding of hair. Who wants to sit beside a dog who is shedding or on a seat previously occupied by a shedding lab? The back of the SUV was no longer used as a trunk but as Shane’s space.
Shane did add to the local economy. Several instances stand out. In his early years he got impatient while waiting in the car and chewed through two seat belts in the back seat. Driving without usable seatbelts is not allowed so $750 later the problem was fixed. The second story involves a roll of toilet paper. One day he decided to grab the toilet paper roll from the bathroom. The problem was that the toilet paper roll was on the rod which was anchored and ran parallel to the wall. He tugged at the toilet paper roll, managed to get the roll in his mouth and took off down the hallway. I did a double take seeing the roll in his mouth and thought he was not smart enough to gently remove the roll off of the rod. He pulled the rod off the wall while grabbing the roll which left a hole in the bathroom wall. A remodelling job was required. The hole had to be mudded and filled, then sanded down and the bathroom repainted. This was all for a toilet paper roll. The third story is about his curiosity for underground sprinkler lines. He found a piece of line exposed in the backyard. He found some of the lines and punctured them which consequently disabled the underground sprinkler system. Who needs watered backyard grass.
Shane’s health was impacted over the years by several surgeries. When he was seven years old, he was diagnosed with glaucoma. He had one eye removed at seven years and the second eye at 10 years old. Not having eyesight didn’t stop him except for one thing. Throwing and retrieving a ball was difficult with no eyes. He also had surgery for a large lipomas (fat lump) on his chest. Labs are known for their fat lumps.
All dogs are special to their owners and Shane was special to us. His enthusiasm, exuberance and tail wagging love of life was always a positive enforcement to anyone who got to know him. He was fiercely loyal and made sure that he was the centre of all of the action. If there was not enough action going on, he created some. He accepted all hugs, kisses, pets and hearing what about how he was such a good boy. When you get a dog or a cat, you know that you are making a contract with yourself. For all of the joy they bring to you, you know that there will be heartache at the end. At Shane’s end, we thanked him for all of the joy, love and fun he gave to us and made our lives much richer and bearable. Thank you Shane.
