Yesterday I drove 4 hours north to Concord, North Carolina! Thankfully I did not have to leave at the crack of dawn but either way it was a long drive. A few weeks ago I entered Kirby in a Doberman Specialty. It would be his first time entered in a dog show since 2006! While I knew he had not forgotten how to act or what to do, I did think he would be so excited he would not be able to contain himself. This thought turned out to be VERY true. I entered him in the Veteran age group of 7-9 years of age, I was very excited as he will be 9 in February and looks fabulous for an old man. So I arrived in the very cold and blustery state of North Carolina around 1:30pm, the specialty started at 2:00pm so this gave Kirby plenty of time to figure out just exactly where he was. It took him all of 2 minutes! I brought him into the building and I swear my old man was bursting with excitement. He showed beautifully, a little wild but I could not be more proud of him.
I do have to admit that both on the way up there and on the way home, I did break down and cry! Driving all alone just me and him, brought back so many memories. Kirby and I have been all over the Northwest from Washington to California to Nevada to Montana and every where in between. He has been the most loyal friend anyone could ever ask for. I only hope I have been half the friend to him. To be honest I am a little suprised that he is not deaf, after all these years of listening to me sing. LOL!! The tears on the way home were brought on by the thought of what life would be like without him. Somehow that thought just doesn't even seem possible. While I know in reality that someday my life will be without him, I can't help but wish he will always be there. With as much winning as he and I did together those are not my favorite memories of him. I never thought after Queenie passed away that I would ever love a dog as much as I loved her, but Kirby is easily loved that much! He makes me laugh everyday, he is clueless to the idea that the world does not revolve around him. So with each day that passes I try to make sure I give him an extra hug and remind him of how much I love him. I can only hope he knows how much I do love him. He sleeps on our bed every night and makes sure to guard me while Anthony is at work. I often wonder who will fill his shoes when he is gone, for those shoes are so big it may take multiple dogs to do so.
It seems like just yesterday you and Kirby were traveling all over the place and all I did was worry you both would be alright. Prepare yourself because no one will ever fill his shoes. Like his mother...his shoes are way too big for anyone to fill. I have now resigned myself that my protector and guard dog is Toni Baloney and that is a scary thought. Always proud of you...Love to all.
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