Titan
Ever since I was a young child I loved animals. I always read books about them, watched Mutual Omaha's Wild Kingdom faithfully, drew pictures of them and had fuzzy critter posters all over my room. Everything in me screamed at a very young age I wanted warm and fuzzy critters in my house. I swore when I got older I would get a dog and anything else with fur.
Eventually adulthood hit and, sure enough, I found the perfect dog for me and the family. It was an Alaskan Malamute named Titan. The owner had to either give him away or put him in a shelter. I was hesitant to take a dog that big. Titan weighed in at 135 lbs. He was big for his breed. But he charmed us all and we took him home with us.
I have to say that Malamutes are rather interesting....they vocalize a lot. If they want attention, they make this low rumble in their throat. At first he freaked me out because I thought he was growling at me all the time. Turns out...he was just looking to chat me up. It is not like you could ignore him either, because when a 135 lb animal with very large teeth starts making growl-like noises you give them your undivided attention.
It was easy to get used to the vocalizations....getting used to the "fur bombs" took a little longer. When Titan started to shed, he didn't hold back. He was in overachiever in my opinion. If I bushed him outside it looked like snow. The birds LOVED that because they would get that soft snuggly fur and make nests out of it. On windy days the fur would blow all over the place. I'm sure some neighbors were trying to figure out what kind of insane wildlife moved into the neighborhood that left white fur bombs.
He was also rather precocious and a bit of a snot. We had to limit his food intake because left to his own devices, he would eat his weight in dog food. Though we never put it to the test, I'm fairly certain that is not an exaggeration. He had a food fetish. And when we didn't give into his grumbling, he would take matters into his own paws. My garbage was his trough for a while, and sandwiches were not safe. There was once he ate and entire loaf of bread. Then proceeded to throw it up for the next 3 days. I have to say, that was a very unpleasant tactile experience for both of us. Turns out he had a delicate stomach and bread didn't work well in him. And no bones either, he would eat them like a snake, just opened up his jaws and swallowed or he would shatter them and eat the splinters. That lead to more unpleasant tactile moments for the 2 of us.
In the 7 years we had Titan we got to know our vet very well. If there was a strange problem to get, Titan had it. At one point his fur started coming out....and not just his soft undercoat fur, but the stuff that isn't supposed to go away. I wanted to glue cotton balls to his tail because a naked dog tail resembles a rat's tail. And it was beginning to freak me out. It was at this juncture that I found out Malamutes have pink and black skin.....I would rather have read it in a book than see my poor naked dog cruising through the house. Turns out he had a thyroid problem. Thank goodness for medication, he grew his fur back. That was a win for both of us.
For 5 years he was a happy dog who played with the kids and our cat. He wrestled with me and could almost knock me out with one swipe of the paw. He allowed our cat bat him around some days, other days he would put the cat's head in his mouth and remind the cat he was but an quick snack if Titan ever wanted to take it to that level. Titan was a good natured dog....he was bit by 2 other dogs and the only thing he ever did was look at me with a look that asked, "Can I eat the little jerk?"
After one of my many trips to the vet, I was informed he had a liver problem. I have no idea how this happened. Titan wasn't a heavy drinker and he wasn't a intravenous drug user. So, how he contracted a liver disease was a mystery to me. It did cause him to vomit....constantly. Sadly, our Titan couldn't be cured of this disease and his quality of life was quickly fading because of the constant pain. After just a mere 7 years we had to put our Titan to sleep.
I still love fuzzy critters. I still have a house full of them....some on 4 legs, some on 2. But I still think about Titan and miss him. On the day we were introduced to him my daughter was only 2 years old. She was out playing in the yard when she started to cry. I ran out there to check on her and Titan was there at my side checking on her too. I still wonder who picked who. If he did pick us, I'm grateful. Vet bills were absorbed in time.....but the memories of him in this house are always with us.
Eventually adulthood hit and, sure enough, I found the perfect dog for me and the family. It was an Alaskan Malamute named Titan. The owner had to either give him away or put him in a shelter. I was hesitant to take a dog that big. Titan weighed in at 135 lbs. He was big for his breed. But he charmed us all and we took him home with us.
I have to say that Malamutes are rather interesting....they vocalize a lot. If they want attention, they make this low rumble in their throat. At first he freaked me out because I thought he was growling at me all the time. Turns out...he was just looking to chat me up. It is not like you could ignore him either, because when a 135 lb animal with very large teeth starts making growl-like noises you give them your undivided attention.
It was easy to get used to the vocalizations....getting used to the "fur bombs" took a little longer. When Titan started to shed, he didn't hold back. He was in overachiever in my opinion. If I bushed him outside it looked like snow. The birds LOVED that because they would get that soft snuggly fur and make nests out of it. On windy days the fur would blow all over the place. I'm sure some neighbors were trying to figure out what kind of insane wildlife moved into the neighborhood that left white fur bombs.
He was also rather precocious and a bit of a snot. We had to limit his food intake because left to his own devices, he would eat his weight in dog food. Though we never put it to the test, I'm fairly certain that is not an exaggeration. He had a food fetish. And when we didn't give into his grumbling, he would take matters into his own paws. My garbage was his trough for a while, and sandwiches were not safe. There was once he ate and entire loaf of bread. Then proceeded to throw it up for the next 3 days. I have to say, that was a very unpleasant tactile experience for both of us. Turns out he had a delicate stomach and bread didn't work well in him. And no bones either, he would eat them like a snake, just opened up his jaws and swallowed or he would shatter them and eat the splinters. That lead to more unpleasant tactile moments for the 2 of us.
In the 7 years we had Titan we got to know our vet very well. If there was a strange problem to get, Titan had it. At one point his fur started coming out....and not just his soft undercoat fur, but the stuff that isn't supposed to go away. I wanted to glue cotton balls to his tail because a naked dog tail resembles a rat's tail. And it was beginning to freak me out. It was at this juncture that I found out Malamutes have pink and black skin.....I would rather have read it in a book than see my poor naked dog cruising through the house. Turns out he had a thyroid problem. Thank goodness for medication, he grew his fur back. That was a win for both of us.
For 5 years he was a happy dog who played with the kids and our cat. He wrestled with me and could almost knock me out with one swipe of the paw. He allowed our cat bat him around some days, other days he would put the cat's head in his mouth and remind the cat he was but an quick snack if Titan ever wanted to take it to that level. Titan was a good natured dog....he was bit by 2 other dogs and the only thing he ever did was look at me with a look that asked, "Can I eat the little jerk?"
After one of my many trips to the vet, I was informed he had a liver problem. I have no idea how this happened. Titan wasn't a heavy drinker and he wasn't a intravenous drug user. So, how he contracted a liver disease was a mystery to me. It did cause him to vomit....constantly. Sadly, our Titan couldn't be cured of this disease and his quality of life was quickly fading because of the constant pain. After just a mere 7 years we had to put our Titan to sleep.
I still love fuzzy critters. I still have a house full of them....some on 4 legs, some on 2. But I still think about Titan and miss him. On the day we were introduced to him my daughter was only 2 years old. She was out playing in the yard when she started to cry. I ran out there to check on her and Titan was there at my side checking on her too. I still wonder who picked who. If he did pick us, I'm grateful. Vet bills were absorbed in time.....but the memories of him in this house are always with us.
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