Queen of Quirk

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.  Genesis 2:19 NIV.

     Sometimes I think Stardog is a bit too smart for my own good. There are moments when I’ve caught her studying me with a most inquisitive look of wonder on her face. I’ll think “Hmm, that’d make a really good picture.”

     Star will watch me carefully as I pull out the camera, turn it on, and begin to point it at her. That’s about the time she looks away, acting oblivious to my intentions. I’m not making this up. I’ve tried getting her to look back at me, but no amount of coaxing will do unless she wants to look back. I’ve even used our top-secret “code word” for her num-nums, but that only worked a time or two. Now she’s far too smart to be fooled by that trick. If I put the camera back in its case, she inevitably looks straight at me again. Star doesn’t do this all the time, but she’s done it often enough that I know that she knows what she’s doing.

     Star’s former owners apparently dumped her out on the streets of a town some distance from where we live. We don’t know much about her early upbringing or background, other than she had to fend for herself for weeks before the animal control folks could catch her. She had no identification on her, so the shelter staff named her Carly.

     When my wife and I found her in the animal shelter, she was surrounded by pit bulls in adjacent cages. I don’t have anything against those dogs, or any dog for that matter, if the owners are responsible.

     We put a leash on Star. She took the leash in her mouth and pulled us along through howls and snarls to the fenced-in play area.  We threw a ball for her a few times and she responded with the obligatory fetch and retrieve. I could already see she hoped for far more out of life than this, but she’d do what was needed to pacify us for the moment.

     When we were done with our little game, Star sat down at my left side and looked up at me. I rubbed the top of her soft head and she literally tipped over unto the warm grass, still holding me in her gaze.

     Hmm.

     My wife and I weren’t sure if we were ready for another dog after our beloved Moondog had passed on. We left Star where she was and prayed. If she were still there by the weekend, we’d take her. By Thursday, we couldn’t stand it anymore. We both took off work and drove the hour to see if someone else had claimed her. Star sat in her cage as we approached, looking at us as if to say “I knew you’d be back. What took you so long?”

     Sometimes I think Star sees a whole lot more of what’s going on around us during our hikes than I do. I often find myself following her gaze to try to perceive what she does. She’s a good teacher and I’m learning.

     I don’t know who the people were who dumped Star off and drove away from her, nor do I want to. I’d guess Star probably chased after the vehicle as long as she could. Star loves to run, and she is very fast (we named her Shooting Star). I wonder if that event is etched in her mind. Whenever I open the door to my truck, Star launches herself inside before I say a word.

     Stardog not wanting her picture taken is just one of her many quirks. If I tried to write about all of them now, I’m afraid I’d run out of cyberspace.

     Do you know any animals with a quirk or two in their makeup?

     I’m thankful God made animals. Can you imagine this world without them? What a lonely place that would be.

     But He did, and I sure am glad.