They say big things come in small packages. For Viking, our 100 lb. yellow lab this was only partly true. You see, Viking thought his gargantuan 100 lb. body was contained in the frame of a lap dog . . . In his mind, he was a small package.
I suppose we contributed to this madness. As a puppy, he snuggled on my wife's pillow at night, gradually moving to larger spaces in our bed. He found his final spot at the end of bed, curled into a tiny ball (actually a very large ball the size of a full grown person).
We somehow coped with the third large breathing body in our bed for many years. As our back pains become more apparent from our own contorted sleeping positions, Viking found his place on a cozy bed beside ours. He would still approach our bed from the side and wait patiently for us to invite him in. Sometimes we did.
He earned this respect with his enthusiasm for everything smelling of butter and words that sounded like "walk" or "treat". Perhaps it was his dedication to get the paper each morning. But he was more than that . . . much more.
Viking acquired an assortment of tricks and endoring behaviors in his lifetime. While he was a dedicated student at Pet Smart's puppy classes and even went through a weeklong boarding camp at a school for German Sherpards, he acquired his best tricks on his own.
The Treat Maximizer Trick: 1) Stand at the back door patiently, waiting to go outside. 2) go out the door and wonder in the grass for a few minutes. 3) return to the back door and give the "I want to come in bark" 4) Refuse to come inside until a treat is offered (This was Viking's favorite trick and was repeated every night).
The "Don't Poke My Eye Out" Trick: Take a small baby and have it climb all over the dog, stick it's finger into the dog's eye and giggle. Hours of fun for the baby, not so much for Viking. But he endured it all without a growl or wimper.
The Houdini Act: This trick was repeated only once and you have to watch the video to believe it:
Mr. Wolf and his powers of prognostication
As he aged, the lap dog tendencies slowly declined. His hips prevented an easy jump onto the couch, and a soft rug on the floor became his best friend. He spent most of his final months sleeping, but always reveled at the opportunity for a walk and faithfully brought the newspaper till the end.
Today, Viking performed his greatest disappearing act of all. There is no doubt Viking was a very big thing in our lives. Don't let his size fool you.
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