Saturday, November 27, 2010

Dodger

Did you know?:Kevins First word was "Dodger" he said it "Dod-Che"



Like Tasha wrote in her blog, we got Dodger almost on a whim just a few months after we were married..I was 23 and Tasha was 22. There were 8 chocolate lab puppies and 3 were female. We took Dodger because she seemed like the most calm of the bunch (:

We would take turns picking her up and holding her and looking at each other with an "oh my gosh are we really going to do this" face. We didn't make it out of there empty handed..we wrote a check for $200, and drove the 30 miles south back home to Chico. Dodger rode on Tasha's lap the entire way. I can still picture how cute both of them looked.

We loved having a new puppy in our house and as she grew older she was very hyper and playful, a typical Labrador.

Dodger was a born retriever and an excellent swimmer. We would take her to the creek by our house in Chico and watch Dodger go flying off the rocks diving in the creek and joyfully swimming around until she had swallowed so much water that she would then have to yak it back up on the walk home.

The 4 years we lived in Ventura were Dodgers Glory years. Since Ventura had (and still has) a look the other way policy with regards to dogs on the beach, Dodger thrived there. We would let her off the leash and she would stalk sea gulls and chase them...she would go charging after a stick when I would throw it in the ocean, leaping over the surf until she located it and then with a flick of her "otter tail" make a quick u-turn, body surfing the shorebreak and running back to Tash and I.

She was a natural frisbee dog. We had her special dog frisbee that I would throw to her on the beach I would try to time it so that she would leap into a small wave right when she caught it. A lot of times I would jump in the ocean with her and body surf right next to her. She never had to be trained to retrieve sticks, tennis balls, or frisbees. She was just so much fun to play with. She could run so fast.


If Dogs go to a special Dog heaven, this is where I think Dodger will always be, running in the surf, waiting to chase her next sea gull

7-1-97 - 11-27-10




5 comments:

Brett said...

Good memories and a good dog. She'll be missed.

Paula said...

That was beautifully written, Garrett. She will live happily forever in the memories of you and Tasha, because she was part of that sweet time of youth and being newly married. I don't think you will ever forget her, nor I. I can still see her on the beach, leaping for that frisbee.
My heart goes out to all of you for the loss of such a special, lovable dog.
Hugs and love, Mom

Tasha Riley said...

Good memories! We love you Dodger!!

Sandy said...

Dear Garrett,
This was so beautifully written and like Tasha, you captured the essence of Dodger.I too remember her leaping in the surf and running on the beach in Ventura. She loved it. She was a very special member of your family.
We know what you are going through right now! It is not easy losing a pet, especially one that has been with you so long.
Love, Sandy and Joe

Grandma Dee said...

Ahh, your blog made me cry, Garrett. You are such a sucker for Labs. And Dodger was probably your favorite because she was your first ever totally dog of your own. You did such neat things with her. I always can see her running on the beach and chasing whatever you threw. I am so sorry that you had to say goodbye to her yesterday. It takes a while to get over the loss of a dog. They are always there wagging their tail, so happy to see you when you come home and slobber you with wet kisses. She was a sweet dog and she lived an awesome life up until the day she passed. Love you, Denise