Thunder

Thunder was a purebred Siberian Husky. When I first saw him cowered in a small cage I knew I would be taking him home. He was so small and so timid. He was red and white with blue eyes. So beautiful.  My heart just melted. I got him from a breeder and before I left the breeder told me that if I had not taken him, Thunder was going to be put down. When I ask why he told me, "Because he is of no use to me. He was born with one testicle and can't be bred." I couldn't believe it! After a few choice words, I scooped him up and took him home.

The next day I took him to the vet and was told he would not be able to breed but I didn't care. I got him to be a companion, not a breeding machine. And through the years, Thunder and I were inseparable. I took him almost every where with me. The only time he was not riding "shotgun" in my car was when I went to school. Everyone in town knew us and knew him. He was a friendly dog and as he grew, he looked more and more like a wolf. He got bigger than what was normal for his breed. Instead of the 55 pounds I was told he would be, Thunder weighed almost 80 pounds and with his wolfish looks, no one dared mess with me. He was also taller than he should have been.

He had this game he liked to play. I would give him a treat and he would try to put it in my hand. When I tried to take it he would growl then run. I had to chase him so he would eat his treat. Sometimes he would lay in the door way and when I headed that way he would slap a paw down on his treat and bark.  He would not eat the treat until someone acted like they were going to try to take it from him. It was comical.

Thunder was also nosy. When a friend came over and left their purse on the floor, he would manage to get into it and take everything out. Never stole anything. He would lay everything on the floor and just look at it. Once a man came out to work on the furnace. The man would lay a tool down and Thunder would steal the tools. the poor man would go all over the basement trying to find his tools. When he found them he came to me and ask, "Would you please tell your dog to give me my tools back?"  So I had to wrestle Thunder to get the tools.  

My dad was crazy about Thunder. And dad was not a dog person but he would get a small bag of cookies and the two of them would sit on the porch and eat them until the bag was empty.  Dad drank ice tea. He would sit in a lawn chair outside and would pour some in a dish for Thunder and the two of them would sit in the shade drinking ice tea. 

Being a Siberian Husky, Thunder had a very thick coat. he shed so much in the spring you could make a sweater with all the fur. But he would lay still while I brushed him until I had all the loose fur removed. In the winter his fur was so thick he could go outside in the worse winter storm and it never bothered him. Once he was outside during a heavy snow. When I looked out the window I couldn't see him anywhere. I was so upset. All I could think of was he was lost or he froze to death. I went outside and started calling his name and suddenly a small pile of snow moved and out he came. Stretched, yawned and then came to me. He laid there and let the snow cover him while he slept.

He liked going to the vet. No matter what the vet did to him, he would take it. Sometimes he would moan but not once did he try to bite.  The vet said he was one of the more pleasant dogs to work with. I think Thunder liked going because the vet always gave him a treat and the girls there would always pet and hug him. He loved attention.

Thunder was a great companion and he and I were "in tune" with each other. It was almost as if we knew what the other was thinking. He also knew when I was not feeling well or was sad. When I was ill he would lay by my bed constantly. When I was sad, he would get on the bed with me, lick my face then lay his head on my lap and sigh. He would stay that way for as long as I needed him.  I would lay or sit there and stroke him until I felt better. 

A few years back, Thunder developed cancer. I kept him as comfortable as I could for a while but rather than see him suffer, I had to let him go. I called the vet and the next day I took him for his last car ride. When I pulled up to the clinic, I noticed a backhoe out back and a small hole. I don't know why that caught my attention. I led Thunder into the clinic and gave him a hug. The look in his eyes told me he knew this was the end for us. The girls there all gathered around and a couple of them had tears in their eyes. Even the vet was sad. I took his collar and tags then gave him one last hug and went to my car. I could not watch him be put to sleep. I sat in my car and cried like a baby. I was crying so hard I couldn't drive. I happen to look up and saw the vet carrying Thunder to the small hole and gently lay him in it. He made a special place out back for him. I got out of the car and walked over. Stood there for a few minutes and then went home.


A few months later I was cleaning out a closet and found a bit of Thunder's fur. I picked it up and just started to cry. I suddenly felt a lick on my face and immediately smiled. This would not be the only time I would feel his presence.  When my dad passed away I was sitting on the couch. I felt like my world had ended and I felt that lick on my face and felt the weight of his head on my lap. Last year when one of my sisters passed away I was again sitting on the couch crying thinking everyone I loved was leaving me. Suddenly the couch moved. You could see the cushions  move as if something was walking on them. Again I felt the lick on my face and the weight of his head on my lap. I even heard his sigh.

I needed him again...and again he was there.