Remembering Ethan …

We have learned that all dogs have a unique personality … and Ethan was no exception. Ethan was irreplaceable and quickly stole our hearts just by being himself.

In this article, I simply wish to capture some memories of Ethan’s personality — memories that gave us a special joy in life that we dearly miss. It’s only proper for such an article be written — and, at times, we still have those breakdown moments where we wrestle to cope with life without him.

Ethan came to us wrapped in a little package — and slightly bow-legged — but we quickly learned that only his size was little. Ethan was larger-than-life in so many ways.

Playing

One of his favorite pastimes was wrestling and playing. As a small puppy, he didn’t know how sharp and painful those little teeth could be when play-biting. It took a bit of patience to break him of that — but he eventually got past the puppy stage (but never past the playing stage). He loved, loved, loved to play, play, play. Anyone playing with him found themselves completely caught up in the activity based on the energy level he put into it. I can still see his attack position in my mind — stretched forward with legs and head low to the floor, tail wagging high in the air, and a loooooong rolling bark waiting for a toy to be thrown. Next, he would bunny-hop along to fetch it, waiting for you to throw it again. Play he did, all the time. He loved it — and I did too.

Greetings Us at the Door

One of Ethan’s favorite times was when family members returned home. For most dogs, it might be meal time — not so for Ethan, his heart for those he loved was bigger than any affection to food. He was not a selfish dog. 
Often he did a happy-dance slipping around on the slick floor, sounding like a tap-dancer … and walking in a U‑shape — twisted around with butt facing towards the “walking direction”, but head and back looking backwards towards “the people direction”. (If you’re confused, you should be … it’s hard to explain, but those that knew Ethan know what this means.) This was only one of the many things that made Ethan truly unique — his ability to walk in a U‑shape. Often he would look for a toy to offer activity in a playing session. But if a toy could not be quickly found, a close shoe laying around would suit the moment just fine.

Very Trusting in His Owners

Ethan had a very human-trusting personality. This was abundantly clear at the vet. He never fought against painful shots, taking medicine, or anything where most dogs fight-against, or let out a holler. Ethan simply endured any distasteful experience and rolled with the punches. He was a good sport about this. He was a delight for any veterinarian to work with.

Possessed a Very Non-Jealous Nature 

When Penny passed, we thought we’d get Ethan a playmate. This effort brought about Minnie — a person-only dog who was broken in spirit in such a way that she required more than expected attention. Ethan quickly became a 2^nd-place-dog. You would have thought he would have been jealous — and rightly so. But, Ethan didn’t know the meaning of the word jealous. Again, he rolled with punches and enjoyed Minnie’s presence more than Minnie enjoyed his. He licked Minnie’s ears as if massaging her — and, although she got wet in the process, it looked as though she didn’t mind. Ethan loved people and playmates the same. This was truly the most-loving dog I’ve seen.

Q: How Do I Ask for a Cookie?

A: Easy, go to my pad and sit there.

How this all started:  Early in life, Ethan was trained to go to sleep at night in a large wire crate. To assist with this, he always received a “cookie” (small dog biscuit). This really made a lasting impression for Ethan’s behavior.  Once Diane and I adopted Ethan, we discovered that he felt at home in his wire crate — and would go there as a way to ask for a cookie.  We made it comfortable for him by placing a pad in it. Eventually, we worried, that while we were working, in the event of a fire, Ethan may retreat to his safe place, the crate, instead of using the dog door to get out of the house. We did away with the crate, but left the pad. And the pad become his safe place.  He always expected a cookie as a reward for going outside to do business, and would often jump off the couch and quickly go to the pad to ask for a cookie at other time. It was uniquely “Ethan”; it was a very cute response that was built into who he was and what he did.

Red Flags, and Guilt

We thought Ethan was a finicky eater. He’s probably the only dog we’ve had that didn’t gain weight. He did love his “Cookies” … and towards the end, those were the last favorite things to eat. Turns out that his eating habits, (and skipping meals some days), together with increased gorging of water were red flags that we missed. Probably for a long while his kidneys didn’t function well. The short nine years that he lived were packed with quality of life. Even up to the end, he loved car rides and always had a very friendly tail-wag to let you know that he loved you.

In short, there were very few negatives in the personality of this beloved friend and family member (except possibly early on when he did tear up a few of Diane’s favorite shoes as a puppy — but, we won’t mention that …).  To this day, we love and miss him dearly.

Milestone Dates to Remember