Sir Teddy (Bear) Spinner by Senorita Jakita

If Daddy had Zanny, did Momma have a dog before me, you may wonder? Yes, she had a beautiful Angel Dog, Teddy, a bright white miniature American Eskimo who, I am told, hardly did anything wrong in is his life.

Well, I don’t believe that, I think aloud. Momma says, well,  maybe, once or twice he needed to be reprimanded, like his first grooming when he nipped Momma as she brushed him and Momma,  Quick-Draw-McGraw, tapped him on his snout and Teddy never did that again. If only I could learn so easily.

Of course, being an Angel Puppy,  he never chewed anything, snapped, snarled or growled and on top of that could be left outside, on the front porch and NEVER ran away.  Are you sure he was a dog, Momma??? That theory was even tested one day when Momma, always in a rush Momma, put Teddy outside in the morning, then went off to work.  At the time poor Daddy was recuperating from open heart surgery so every night after work Momma would go visit him at one of those Down Town World Class Cardiac Hospitals.  She did not even know she had created a problem till she got home, late. The moon was shining high in the sky, on a cold, winter night. There sat Angel Dog Teddy, waiting patiently, on the top step by the front door.  I mean, I do not get it, was he missing a dog gene?

Like me, Teddy came from a Puppy Mill, (a ramshackle barn crammed with all different purebred  breeds and sizes of dogs, from teacup to St. Bernard’s). He was so happy, happy, happy when he was handed over to Momma. He buried his head on her shoulder, clinging to her for dear life, realizing that he had a matter of seconds to bond so that he could become part of her Forever Family.  Teddy shadowed Momma even more than I do, protecting her from every person he thought was a threat – like the Courier Delivery Man who got a little too close, so was subjected to a sharp nip in the ankles. Even at my fiercest, I am not that brave.

I am told Teddy mostly  abided or ignored the cats, feeling superior because he slept on a doggie pillow at the end of Momma’s bed. With Zanny, he showed his nurturing side, though never excessively. While Teddy was napping,  Zanny was allowed  to curl up in a ball by his tail, in order to sleep.

Still, my competition will always be the Perfect Angel Teddy who was (like myself) an Aquarius, strangely enough. One weakness Teddy had, just like me.  He was always seeking and demanding the attention of the Two Footed, longing to be patted and praised, while all other family pets were to be ignored, as if they did not exist.  At least I sniff, kiss and groom the kitties, happily rolling up in a ball with them to nap – not our Teddy, he did not ‘do’ cats.

No one is without flaws, myself included.  Still it gives me pleasure to report, one time, I am told,  when Teddy was only four or five months old, he stole the night guard for Momma’s teeth. The minute he popped it in his mouth, the sharp wires that held it in place, drilled into his gums and he thought, ‘OMG, what is this?  I will never be able to eat again, save me’. He choked, gagged and shook his head until the little guard went flying out of his mouth, across the bedroom floor where Momma heard the commotion and scooped it up.  The guard was obviously misshapen and no longer wearable or even salvageable. Yet Teddy looked so ashamed that Momma  did not have the heart to chastise him.  Lesson Learned: Momma should not leave things on the bedside table and if she did, Teddy must ignore them, to avoid pain.

Besides his few faults, Teddy had a couple of amusing but harmless quirks. Sometimes if he was in the kitchen and Momma  called him to the living room, he would not walk in forwards, no, he would turn and back in. The ‘Spinner’ was added to his name when he was registered at the American Kennel Club because he loved to spin in circles as a puppy, like a white whirling dervish, hearing, feeling music not audible to the world around him.

So sometime, you may understand, I feel, give me a break, don’t tell me any more, I feel like I am gagging on his goodness.  Teddy and Fidel – Angel puppies, the two of them…no wonder Momma longed for a testosterone male.

Now, with the facts before you, I’m not sure what you think, but even Momma admits Teddy was a little too serious. I would say that I am way more fun – cause girls just wanna have fun – ask Cyndi Lauper.

Teddy lived a long and charmed life, succumbing to ill-health in his old age, winging his way to Pet Heaven. I like to think impetuous little Zanny and steadfast sturdy Teddy were there to greet Daddy when he reached his Greater Reward in Paradise. But what happens once we pass, well that is all hearsay, it can not be proved scientifically or in a court of law.

However, I am just telling you what I heard whispered by Momma, the kitties, even the squirrels, sitting up on the car garage roof, chirping down secrets thorough the ages passed on from their forefathers  who lived at this home since its creation in 1867. I’d say they pretty much have their finger on he pulse.

You can see, I think a lot about Teddy.  I may be a work in progress but at least now I  attempt to live up to the fine example Teddy left.

Are you listening,  are you  with me, Zanny, or are you off on one of your wild goose chases?)