I miss my dog. He has been gone since August 14 and I miss him so much it's still really hard to think about him without choking up. I had no idea when we got him that he would mean so much to me after just one short year. Here are just a few things I miss about him. Some are kind of strange but if you've had a dog, you probably understand!
--He, like lots of dogs, was SO excited to greet you when you got home. Unlike most dogs, when Frosty got excited, his lips curled up and he bared his teeth. That kind of mug on a giant dog would seem pretty scary to a stranger, but when you factor in the fact that he was also squeaking, sneezing and wagging his tail, he seemed pretty harmless and funny-looking. I miss hearing his squeaks and sneezes when a friend is at the door.
--Every time a doorbell rang, at our house or on TV, Frosty went nuts. He would start barking, run upstairs and then pace from the window to the door, trying to figure out who he was supposed to guard us against. He had different kind of barks and the "doorbell bark" was just half-hearted for him, but scary enough that no stranger with half a mind would ever think about coming into our house! I heard a doorbell tonight on a TV show and Travis and I both almost lost it.
--I loved watching him waiting in the morning to go out with Travis for a walk. Travis would be getting ready in our room or the bathroom and Frosty would just be laying on the floor in the hallway waiting. Whenever Travis said, "Okay Buddy, let's go." the dog literally hopped down the hallway backward, to make sure that Travis was following behind. I haven't been able to walk to the square since he's been gone because it doesn't seem right to be walking alone.
--I liked it that he was so big that he could gaze out our living room windows at the goings-on of our town. Whenever he saw his friend Tabby, he would start squeaking, usually loud enough that Beth, Tabby's owner, could hear him and would stop in to let them see each other. When the curtains were drawn, it was so cute to watch him part them with his giant snout so that he could get a peek outside. Every morning when I would leave for school, Travis and Frosty would be looking out the window, waving to me (well, Travis would wave anyway!). I was sitting on the couch today looking out the window, and I saw all kinds of slobbery Frosty-snout marks on the window. Needless to say, I didn't rush to grab the window cleaner.
--Every time I would pick up his toys and put them in the basket, that was the time he would decide that he just HAD to play with those particular toys. He would be taking his Kong and bones and rope out as fast as I could put them back in. He was just like a child that way.
--I loved how Frosty thought he was so sneaky. You could tell he was trying to surprise you if his eyes were covered. He would duck his head behind something and then jump out when you came by. What a doofus! He figured that if he couldn't see you, you couldn't see him. He was also CRAZY when he got excited. The living room or the basement was not big enough for him when he was happy about something. He would run laps and slip and slide all over the floor, he would grab the nearest toy and shake it to pieces. He would run full-speed right into you and knock you over if you weren't paying attention. We would take turns chasing each other through the living room and kitchen and down the hallway. He would allow you to chase him for a few laps and then he would "hide" and wait for you to come around the corner and then jump at you. Then you would have to turn around and let him chase you. I never enjoyed exercise more!
--I loved watching Travis and Frosty together. They were best friends. I know that Travis loved having Frosty all to himself this summer when I was in Canada. I bet Frosty felt the same way. Just the boys at home. I think there is a different kind of bond between a man and his dog that no female can attain. I was very close with Frosty and I think I probably played fetch with him and wrestled with him more than Travis. We would play rough and roll around on the ground and he would jump on me when I was laying on the floor, but I think he was more content to be laying next to Travis, watching TV, perfectly calm. Travis and I both told Frosty all our secrets and I'm sure Frosty went to his grave with a few tidbits of knowledge that Travis and I will never get around to telling each other. I'm sure Travis feels weird sitting in his chair, not petting Frosty. It doesn't sound right, or feel right or smell right, or even look right at our house anymore. My husband is different now without Frosty. He lost his best friend.
--I love that Frosty let you hug him. He would just stand there while you wrapped your arms around his neck and held on. He was so great to hug because he had such a giant, majestic head. I always felt that it must be similar to the way it would feel to hug Aslan, the great lion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series.
--Not only did Frosty let you hug him, he LOVED to be hugged--by men, women and children--but especially children! Whenever we would walk by the square on a beautiful day, there would be a sea of children running to us, arms open wide, with eruptions of "FFFRRRROOOOOSSSSTTTYYYY!" echoing throughout the square. EVERYONE knew him in town. Everyone. All the kids loved him and he definitely loved kids the best. I think that smelly, dirty, sweaty kids playing in the park must have smelled awesome to Frosty. Party bonus if said children had sticky, crumby faces or fingers. Those kids would get a very special Frosty lick which was saved for only those occasions. Frosty didn't just lick willy-nilly. He licked with purpose. I never could believe that even the smallest of children weren't scared of Frosty. They ran right up to him, let him sniff their faces, absorb a lick if it was necessary, and then they would either throw their arms around him or stroke his thick, thick fur. I never liked the name Frosty much, but the kids loved it, and it was easy for them to remember so I guess it worked out okay.
--I loved how Frosty was pretty useless after about 9:00 at night. I never noticed a dog's facial expressions until I had him. Frosty definitely exhibited "tired-eyes" and would just look at us like we were crazy for not going to bed when he thought it was necessary. He definitely liked his sleep.
--Speaking of sleep, he was not the most fun to sleep next to. He dream barked, and twitched and kicked a lot. Twitches and little kicks on a normal size dog are one thing, but when you are next to a dog that weighs as much as an adult, and there are two GIANT paws pushing on the side of your head and two other even GIANT-ER paws kicking your hip (or unmentionables, sorry Travis) like it was a punching bag, one doesn't have a restful night of sleep. Now, I must say, Frosty NEVER jumped on furniture and would only get on the bed if invited. He was wonderfully respectful of our space. These observations came from nights where we would let Frosty on our bed or from nights that we were camping and Frosty decided that the best place for him in our tiny tent was right smack in between us.
--Sleeping with him during the night wasn't a lot of fun, but Frosty LOVED to snuggle! One day I had come home from work sick, drug out the air mattress and parked myself in front of the TV. I decided to take some NyQuil to help with my head cold and to hopefully sleep it off. I awoke, after about 2 hours, to find a giant white furry arm thrown over me and as I rolled over, I observed that my dog had his head on my pillow and was under the covers with me. We were, indeed, spooning. Judging by how incredibly warm it was and how disgustingly drooly my pillow was, I would say we had been spooning most of those 2 hours.
--Frosty loved snow. He turned into a different dog during the snowy winter months. We would have to take a toy along on every walk because the dog would get so crazy that he would start chewing on his leash or on our hands. We spent more time outside with Frosty in the winter months than any other time. We would turn him loose in the park or by the ball fields (no one else was crazy enough to be outside, so we didn't have to worry about him bothering other people) and he would take off like a clumsy jackrabbit. He would run full throttle, dive into the snow, roll all around, jump up and do it again. He loved laying in the snow after a good play time. He was always a good sport about being wiped dry with towels when we got back home, too. He did NOT enjoy being dried with the hair dryer but he endured that a few times as well.
--Frosty could count to 3! He always lapped up his water in groups of 3. Lap, lap, lap. Lap, lap, lap. Lap, lap, lap. He would get so excited to receive water in his bowl from the pitcher in the fridge. I think he thought we was getting a special human treat, but it was just extra-cold tap water!
Well, these are random thoughts of mine. I just wanted to write a few of them down. I feel better just sharing them here in blogosphere. I'm sure there will be many more thoughts to come. We miss you so much, Frosty!!
