Sake to Me!

Some of you know(or not!) that I occasionally get weekend custody of my mom's West Highland Terrier. Lord knows I talk about her like she's with me 24/7. .. I wish she was. After 17 months of bonding, Sake, or rather Sasa, has become the love of my life.

Our first meeting was a bit anti-climactic. She was already at my sister's house; completely buggled, confused, and frightfully shy. But it didn't take long to notice that she loved to cuddle and snuggle. For a terrier, she was unusually affectionate and in no time, won me over. In the past year, her little antics have continued to melt my heart and she knows it. Yes, I love this little Pooper Scooper. With no children of my own, and enough heartbreaks in my backpockets, having another creature give me the unconditional love and affection she does is binding?. Who else jumps up into air at the sight of you? Jumping so high she loses her balance and sometimes lands on her back. Men don't do that! ha!

I love the way she keeps looking behind to see if I'm still there when we go on off-leash walkies. I love the way she waits for me to stir in the morning before attacking me with morning kisses. I love the way her little paws look when she's hanging out my car window. I love the way she insists on curling up on the couch with me when I take my afternoon naps. (I even love when she also insists on curling up right next to me when D and I are on the couch.)

And how does D feel about my relationship with Sake? (Hmmm. Yes. How DO you feel?!)... I think he watches with a certain sense of bemusement. He has quite a way with canines, I call him the Dog Whisperer. But unlike me, he can somehow distinguish between the animal world and ours. When I worry about her being lonely or stressed out, or confused, he inevitably turns to me calmly and says with a smile... "It's ok. She's just a dog...". Perhaps I do assign her one too many human traits; afterall, does she really care that her Isaac Mizrahi trenchcoat keeps her dry? That her Three Dog Bakery chicken meals are All Natural? That she's going to look FIERCE in her new July 4th outfit? She doesn't know that I miss her so much that I think about calling in sick just so I could spend the day with her. She doesn't know that having her curled up next to me fills me with such joy that I feel like I don't need anything else. I guess she has become far more than just a dog to me. "I know. I know. She's your baby.., " D says. Yes. She's my Sake to Me baby. ...