Theresa Lewis

Nikka’s journey continues…

 

One thing that bothered me about Nikka was the fact that she never looked at me when I spoke to her. No matter what I tried, she never made eye contact with me. She was an incredibly intelligent animal and she was very obedient at all times. Some other dogs are kissing fools, but not Nikka. Nikka never kissed anyone that I know of. She was aloof and very headstrong.

 

I loved to groom her every day. Nikka on the other hand would rather walk around looking scruffy. She tolerated the grooming sessions, but only barely. She didn’t seem to enjoy them as much as I did. When she had had enough for one day, she would get up and walk away. I respected her wishes. After all, there was always tomorrow.

 

To make it easier on her, I would tell her stories while I brushed the knots out of her fur. Because she was a long-haired Malamute with fur over ten inches long, brushing her and detangling her fur was a real task and a labor of love for me.

 

One day, I was telling her how she came to be living with us. I told her how she was chosen from all the other dogs. I told her that God must have wanted her to live with us because He knew we would love her and take good care of her. As soon as I mentioned God, she did a double take and stared into my eyes then gave me the biggest, wettest lick that I have ever had from a dog. That day, the word God, seemed to have changed Nikka’s focus. From then on until the end, she always looked into my eyes when I spoke to her. I was never sure if she understood what I had said, but to me, on some level, I believe she had understood.

 

Once she started looking into my eyes, she didn’t stop. She seemed to hang on my every word. From time to time, when she wanted something, she would stand in front of me and stare into my eyes until I guessed what it was that she wanted. When I would get it right, she would leap up and dance around with excitement.

 

Another amusing thing about Nikka was that she had the ability to shake her head appropriately for ‘yes’ and for ‘no’. I never taught her that… she learned it from watching us. I tested her so many times, but she was always able to respond that way whenever I asked if she wanted something.

 

One day, I asked her if she wanted to go for a ride in the car and go to get ice cream. She gave me a definite ‘yes’ nod, but I thought this time she had made a mistake because she had never had ice cream before. She did love to ride in the car, so I figured that she had nodded yes to that part of the question.

 

When we got to the ice cream parlor, I asked for a small dish of ice cream for my dog. Nikka smelled it, then she took a small cautious lick at it and shook her head ‘no’ because she didn’t like it. I was quite impressed. I offered it to her a few minutes later once I had finished my own ice cream, but again she shook her head ‘no’ then turned her head away from it.

 

Two more episodes to conclude Nikka’s journey will follow shortly.

 

THE END