"Sir" Toto
Who could
resist such a cute little face ! Isn't he the sweetest dog in the world ?
No. It is not.Your dog is the best and the most of everything you want to
consider - beauty,intelligence...an that's the way it should be.I do not
mind...because for us,our dogs were the most and the best....This is little
Toto at 9 weeks....Ira being gone and Rita being old and ailing,we've been
thinking that Aiki would find herselve alone pretty soon...we got another
Cavalier simply because there were no other Pugs and because Aiki
and Ira got along very well.When I brought Toto home, Aiki chased him and
barked at him a lot,but when she realised that her bowl was not "invaded"
she calmed down.For a couple of days she ignored him,completely.Rita was
more "cool".She didn't spend too much energy checking the new commer.For
her everything was OK as long as she was with us and nobody touched her
bed.
Toto learned
very quickly the "policies" of our household and he was imitating Aiki,as
she became his "Guru"....with one exception...He never begged for food or
for treats.He was just sitting quietly behind her,looking at us to see how
you will react to her "demands",because he knew that if she gets sometingh
he will get it too...So, why bother to annoy people?In the summer of 1990
( Toto was 6 months onld,Rita around 10 years old, Aiki was 4) we left
Romania.Three people and three dogs.We've been in Switzerland for three years
then we came to Canada.What's so unusual ??To take your pets with you wherever
you have to move ?! That's so normal...at least for us...We couldn't even
think about abandoning them...That would have been a really "criminal" though...
Life went on for all of us...We just got a new "little train" Aiki/Toto...and
that was it.From now on we have onle few pictures with Toto alone,because
we couldn't separate him from Aiki,for too
long.
Here
they are,in our room at the Red Cross camp in Lausanne,napping after lanch.In
1991 we moved in an appartment and ...life went on,every day with its own
story...three pairs of dark shinny eyes watching you all the time, three
big mouthes,two of them barking quite a lot and lots of paws jumping on
you,hugging you....When I think back i wander if we as humans deserve to
be fully trusted by an animal ! These beings accept their fate,most of the
time,silently.Is there an inner feeling,a special instinct which tell them
" It's OK. Be happy, you are in good hands !" I hope so.
Here he is,in
our kitchen in Lausanne watching the street whil waiting for his meal.He
loved looking through the window and barking each time he saw a dog.Sounding
the " alarm".Then...Aiki would come,from wherever she was sleeping and join
the "spying" process,until their bowls were full with
food.
You see,he
playind freely around the "big nanny ".We never ever had any problem whatsoever
with Rita as a Borzoi and the little ones.I think it's just a matter of that
inner feeling they devellop about their own status in the family and their
own security.Those were good times for all of us,although we did have problems
to solve,but we were all together ; my mother, my daughter,our dogs and
me.
I really regret
that we didn't took that doll when we came to Canada.but, don't worry,he
got other toys.In march 1992,our dear,sweet,"Krasivaia" left us.The little
ones were so quiet and almost "confused" for a while.they didn't quite play
in the same way,and kept sniffing a lot around Rita's bed.Anyways,as we were
about to move to Canada,we had lots of things to do,lots of papers,luggage,dog
carriers...because " the bandits", "the pirates'," the train",whatever nickname
you can imagine...were comming with us....First to Hamilton for one year
then to Toronto ever since...In our appartments they slept with me,but they
have to have their place in the kitchen and in all the other rooms they had
to get confortable first,then us....if there were any free place left
Here they are,Aiki
and Toto in my kitchen in Hamilton.Both the same,playfull,noisy,cute,smart,
loving,"soulmates".Because Aiki was older and slower,and kind of lazzy,we
didn't "exercise" them too much...I didn't know at that time,that this lack
of exercise will prolonge his
life...
Here he
is taking his afternoon nap in our first appartment in Toronto.Last December
(2000) we discovered that he had that Mitral Valve disease which affects
his breed so cruelly...We tryed with him all possible treatments and for
a while he was responding very well for an 11 years old sick doggy...until
January 20,2001 when Aiki passed away...He was looking for her everywhere,then
looking at us like wandering why she isn't there,where did she go without
him.When I entered the front door he came and looked behind me...then...after
2-3 weeks of waiting his health started deteriorating rapidely...My mother
who was alone at home with him when my daughter was at school and I was at
work,she tryed to confort hime, sung to him, told him stories, talked to
him...but nothing more could be done...He could find any reason to fight
anymore...because Aiki wasn't there...I don't know if he know that she was
at home....in a small urne....So,he went over the Rainbow an March 14,2001...he
was laying in my bed in Aiki's place ...
This picture
was taken in January 2001. Who would have thought that is was supposed
to be their last...Shall I tell you the pain and the feeling of emptyness
we went through...loosing them both in two months...it felt that both of
them vanished...just like that...in the thin air.My mother was
devasteted.Alone,all day,at home...without those "little bugs" wondering
around...thinking about how much Toto must have suffered not only physically
but in his soul when he realised that Aiki was gone...She suffered for him
so much. Could you imagine her anxiety when we had to wait one month
to have his ashes returned,because our former vet kept his little body for
one months in his fridge !!??My mother was not only an old person, but also
suffering from depression after so much struggle in her life,she never forgave
that vet.She could accept the ideea that one has no respect for the pain
a family is going through after loosing both their dogs in 2 months. But
please,keep reading the other chapters and visit the Album. Toto's "official"
name was : VICKY de ATHENIA...
