Almost a decade and a half ago I was a bartender. I was young. I lived high in the Rocky Mountains, at 10,197 feet, to be exact. I had to snowmobile 10 miles to my house in Irwin, CO. It was near St. Patty’s Day when a bartender friend convinced me I NEEDED one of her Yellow Lab’s new puppies.
She said, “Oh, just come take a look…” And, the rest is history.
I would go check on those 6 little black balls of love every couple days. The dad was apparently a large black Lab. He paced around the house until the owner finally let Mama, who was in heat, find her mate. The outcome was 5 boys and 1 girl, all black beautiful souls.
Finally, it was time to come pick up my love. Well, I didn’t just pick up one puppy that day. I got two. My boyfriend realized that he was going to have to deal with this puppy. He was going to help potty train, and feed the little guy. So, he decided to get one, too! He named it Mis’well, because, “If you are getting one, I might as well. That way when we brake up you can keep your puppy and I will keep mine.”
We broke up when the dogs were one year old. Roven was not sad.
Yes, I named my love Roven. The name came from a combination of a nearby peak’s name: Owen, and the clasic dog name: Rover. Roven. Today we call him: Rovie, Stinks, Bubby, or Rove Dawg.
It was late spring when we got to bring Roven and Mis’well home. Like I said I had to snowmobile home in the Winter. On this particular day I didn’t have to go the entire 10 miles, just a couple. Thankfully the snow was melting and we were able to drive part of the way home. At the Y in the road, we parked our vehicles and tried to figure out how we would get these puppies home. I ended up putting both of them in my jacket. Their cute little bodies snuggled my lap, and their little heads popped out so they could see. They had a blast.
As they grew bigger I couldn’t hold both of them and they would run behind us. To this day, the minute a two stroke engine starts up Roven gets excited. A few years ago he almost got his head cut off by getting too close to a chain saw!
Right away we knew the boys were smart, but we also knew Roven was the smarter of the two. They quickly learned to stay out of the road or else they would get hit by a snowmobile. They knew to stay near the house or else they would get eaten by a mountain lion. Their half-coyote-half-shepard-older-sister, Lady, taught them to stay far away from a dog who shows any sign of ‘get the F away from me’. Now, Roven thinks other puppies should learn the same way he did.
When the snow had melted to the point that there was only one small patch left they would only pee in the snow. Then, one day that patch melted and all that was left was the dirt and wildflowers. They held their pee for a few days until they realized that they could go to the bathroom anywhere outside. They could pee on every stick and wildflower we had.
Besides being smart, Roven is also stubborn. He likes things a certain way and he will pant in your face until you do what he wants. These days he wants food and to be let out a few times during the night. He also requires the ultimate comfort. He has always enjoyed to plop his heavy head on the softest place in reach. When he was young he insisted on a llllonnng walk everyday and hours of fetch.
Teaching the puppies how to swim was easy because 1. they were Labs and 2. we lived extremely close to a lake. We would take the canoe out on the water and leave the boys with Lady on shore. While she was busy smelling all the mountain smells they would try to follow us in the canoe. Just their little head would stick out and they would make the highest pitched cry as they would slap their paws against the side of the canoe.
Today, it is still very difficult to be in the water with Roven. If you are near him he desperately tries to save you from the water. I am not sure why he seems to think you shouldn’t be in the water because he absolutely loves the water. Actually, he loves large bodies of water. He will jump over a puddle as to ensure his feet don’t get wet, but if there is a big body of water he will dive in and start blowing bubbles looking for fish. Until he was about 8, he would let you give him a bath in the shower or hose. He used to seem like he liked it, now, he tries to move just out of reach of the hose if you even walk near it.
Back to swimming. RoveDawg used to swim for hours. When we lived in Irwin we would whistle for the dogs and he would come bounding down the hill from the lake sopping wet. Once I lived above a swampy river. Roven would chase the ball down the extremely steep hill down to the thick black river. He never failed to pop up with the blackened ball in his mouth and an extra layer of stank on his paws. Somehow he didn’t jump over that puddle. He would jump in it every day. Then after he smelled like a rotten skunk he would find the comfiest place in the house-my bed. I guess that is why he got his name, Stinks.
Roven love(d) a good adventure. I say loved because he enjoys his beds, short walks, and routine these days. Back when he did like to go on adventures, he was always up for seeing somewhere new. He likes to look out the car window. In my head he is thinking,”I can’t wait to smell where we go next.” He got used to riding in the car to go see my parents, otherwise know as his favorite people in the entire world. I think he understands that going in the car means fun.
The first weekend he was away from his brother we went to Santa Fe. He was such a great travel buddy. He made me stop and take walks in the desert. He also made me sleep in the shadiest hotel. The only hotel that allowed dogs, that was also within my very small budget. He was in heaven though. His own bed that he didn’t have to share.
He has enjoyed a stay at a few hotels on a few road trips. Some of which had an elevator. He didn’t enjoy that so much. He got to travel to Michigan to see his other grandparents. That was a long trip; in the Summer. He was hot and stinky. We got to my father-in-law’s and he immediately jumped into his beloved Coy pond. Although he does love to fish he didn’t care he was sharing the water. He was happy to be cooling off.
Speaking of fishing and road trips. Roven learned to fish on our trip to Idaho and Montana. We traveled for a few weeks in our packed truck with a camper topper. He was a trooper. We had long days in the car and he was always happy to jump in to see which lake we would stop at next. On that trip, besides spending a lot of time with his nose in the water diving for quick fish in the clear water, Roven took up SUPing. He loves to sit on the front of the SUP and let you take him to the middle of the lake. One day it was really hot and he had enough and jumped in. He quickly turned and tried to get back on the SUP. Next thing I knew we were both in the snow melted water.
Roven never did learn to roll over or shake, but he had many other tricks. His favorite was to hold onto his leash in his mouth when we went for walks. He was so proud. Now I don’t even bother with the leash, I just lightly push his fat butt out of the way if someone is coming near us. He may not make it as far as he use to, but he does love to go on walks in the field behind our house. Maybe he just likes the horse treats that come with it.
Today. Is. Hard.
I wrote the first part of Roven’s story a couple weeks ago. This morning Dave and I laid him in the snowy ground. He started having seizures a few months ago. He had a bad one last night. After telling the vet, she didn’t give us time to change our minds. Within an hour she had come and left leaving us heartbroken. It’s only been a few hours and we keep looking around the house for him, and feeling the emptiness but knowing he is at peace.
As I was looking though pictures I was reminded of how many amazing adventures Rove got to experience. His favorites where the endless times we were hiking in the mountains. If there was snow or water he was in heaven.
When Dave would come home with the smell of elk saturating his clothes Roven would be the happiest. He would get to go up to the fallen elk and have at the carcass. He wouldn’t want to leave it and would try to carry it home with him. Last night, somehow after his seizure, he was hungry. He was a Lab to the end. It was 3 AM and he was pacing. He kept going to the fridge. I gave him all the elk he could eat. Then, this morning he got to go role in the fresh snow for the last time. He died happy.
