Dink: A Love Story

I unpacked the Amazon package and replaced Ceiro’s battery in her dog collar right away. But I dismissed my thought about about replacing Dink’s and putting it on him.

He may still be here if I hadn’t been lazy. I feel like I failed him.

Anyone that had the pleasure of meeting Dink knew what it was like to be truly loved. I only had the pleasure of being The Dinkster’s mom for fifteen months.  Our dear friend, Chad, and his son, Lewis, asked us to adopt him when they moved from Charlotte to Denver due to the Pit Bull Ban. I had seen pictures, but they didn’t do him justice, I was completely surprised by his huge head. He is a Razor’s Edge bully, a special hybrid of pit bulls, bred to be docile. Our temporary trial turned into a full-time home in no time. He even helped fill the void when Butch, our beloved senior French Bulldog, left us three and a half weeks later.

Chad took in Dink after he was commando-style rescued. He was born into horrific conditions and had the scars to prove it. I don’t even think I come close to knowing what he went through during his early years because every time I try, I have to stop. It’s unimaginable and unthinkable that there are humans in this world that not only condone, but profit from animal cruelty. His wounds didn’t stop him from unconditionally loving people. He was the strongest, most persistent, lover.

If he felt your intimidation by his immense stature, or that you didn’t like him, he tried even harder. Which meant a 70-pound mass of solid muscle would bulldoze toward you and that more than likely you’d be “dinked”. A term my husband used to describe the distinctive mark from the slimy trail of slobber across your pants, if you were lucky enough to have your legs covered. Anyone who looked into his big brown eyes fell into a deep well of love.

Dink was always ready for a good butt scratching. He became particularly fond of wedging his giant head between your legs, which gave you the prime position to reach down and scratch away. He always showed his appreciation. Even though he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and arthritis, it didn’t stop him from jumping up and down on his hind legs at dinnertime. His joy was palpable. He didn’t take anything for granted. Ever.

He loved little critters, but didn’t understand how big and powerful he was in his excitement to make friends. It was a process over a few visits to integrate him with our daughter’s new puppy. But they got the to the point that they were good buddies.

Not every member of our family was fond of Dink. Our ten-year-old black cat, Dark Star,began residing downstairs in order to avoid that “big oaf” – his words, not mine. He was safe there because Dink was too top heavy to maneuver the hardwood stairs. Dark Star would get into the middle of the stairwell and meow which would send Dink charging through the house toward to the top of the stairs, where he would sprawl across the hallway and peer down at the kitty that would run down and meow from landing. This was a daily game they played.

.

Ceiro, our other dog, took to Dink right away. She now had a companion that could keep up with her boisterous energy and one that eagerly and enthusiastically helped her protect the humans they loved so well. They loved to run around their mountaintop, with almost two acres available to them contained inside a wireless fence. The wireless fence worked wonders with keeping our dogs inside, but we soon discovered that it didn’t keep other animals out and that Dink didn’t tolerate male dogs trespassing on his territory.

The first time he chased a neighbor’s wandering dog, Beau, off the property, I was able to get Dink off of him, both uninjured. Beau stopped roaming free after that. Six months later, a negligent neighbor left a dog he was entrusted with alone outside and when he wandered off, the neighbor decided to leave and run errands, certain Festus would return by the time he did.

I was at the grocery store when another neighbor called me to tell me my dogs attacked another dog and he didn’t think the dog was going to make it. I was horrified by the thought that my dogs could kill another dog. Tabitha and I immediately started doing healing with the injured dog and rushed home to find him still alive. He didn’t have a collar on and no one knew whom he belonged to, another neighbor helped me get him to a Vet after hours on a Saturday afternoon.

Festus eventually recovered, but the incident caused a lot of emotional damage for everyone involved. Including irreparable damage in the relationship between my neighbor and his adult daughter, Festus’ mom. I didn’t want to be perceived as an irresponsible owner and Dink considered a viscous animal.

After that, we locked the doggie door any time we left the house, and oftentimes when we were home. I started using “Trauma Life” Young Living Essential Oil in Dink’s food to help him release some of the pain and suffering he endured at the hands of others. We gave him lots of love and meaty bones often. These were his favorite. He’d spend hours devouring one and when he was finished he would graciously show his gratitude. Chad and Lewis had opportunities to spend time with Dink and he was always so excited to see them.

He was a genuinely happy and well-behaved dog, whose heart was bigger than his head. He was amazing and I never feared for the safety of our family or people that visited us. But he was a different dog when it came to other male dogs, especially those that he perceived as an uninvited threat. The circumstances he was born into trained him to be that way. The ironic thing is, he isn’t a fighter. He was strong and could hold a dog down with his jaw, but that meant that the other dog was able to scratch and bite at him. He received a lot of injuries and even had to have his right ear stitched in a couple of places after an attack by an unknown dog.

Closing the doggie door to keep my dogs safe was inconvenient. One day, I reopened the door as I cleaned up a huge puddle of urine from Dink. He always drank a lot of water and peed like a racehorse when he released it. I was upset, not at him, but at the circumstances. My dogs didn’t have free reign of their territory because of wandering dogs.

After the mess was cleaned up, Tabitha quietly came through the house and went to the doggie door and closed it. She said there were two stray dogs in the driveway. Thankfully, they were undetected until that point, then my dogs went crazy, issuing warning barks through the front window. I went outside to get the dogs’ information and call their owners. The larger of the two, the male dog, went around marking on our trees and various places around the property. I can see why this sort of rude intrusion really bothers my dogs because I was pissed and ready to fight him. Nonetheless, I was grateful we avoided a fight that day.

The colder weather and snow, meant fewer wandering dogs and I became more lenient with the doggie door. While we still locked it when away from the house, I left it open while home so I wouldn’t have to clean up any messes.

The dogs were outside when I heard Ceiro barking loudly, which usually meant that someone with a dog(s) was walking by. I realized Dink’s collar wasn’t on, so I went out the patio door to make sure there weren’t any strays. I saw Mary walking Beau, the first dog to be chased off our property over a year ago. I called for the dogs, but they ignored me as usual. I saw Dink walk down the driveway, past his barrier, into the road. Mary told him “No, no, no!” and I called for him and he came back into the yard. He stayed at the barrier, Ceiro kept barking and I tried to get her contained and stop barking so that Dink wouldn’t be on alert. Mary and Beau had stopped and were standing directly across the road from Dink. I couldn’t get Ceiro to stop jumping up and down and barking, so I turned toward Dink and called him as I went toward him.

Unfortunately, he decided to run to Beau and latched onto his neck. I ran to them and tried to get Dink to release. In doing so, I was bitten by Beau (German Shepherd/Chow mix) in three different areas. Another neighbor drove by and stopped, he was the one who was watching Festus when he wandered into our yard seven months earlier. I tried everything I had done in the past to get Dink to release. Tabitha even brought out a gallon jug of water as pouring water on him has worked before. It was absolutely horrible knowing I couldn’t get him to stop, and if he didn’t Beau could be killed. Here is a being I love with all my heart that is hurting a being someone else loves as much. If he killed Beau, he would be put down. I made the horrific decision to agree to let my neighbor shoot my dog.

That is something that I will live with for the rest of my life. I have gone over a thousand different scenarios of how this could have ended differently. I could have replaced the battery in his collar the day before. I could have stayed inside and Dink wouldn’t have felt extra protective. I could have brought out a meaty bone. I could have attempted to put his collar on during the fight so I could have some leverage. Mary could have decided to walk Beau up Edward Drive instead of down it. She could have decided to keep walking and ignore him. So many “could of’s” and it doesn’t change a thing. Dink is gone.

To compound the pain, this tragedy happened on Tabitha’s 13^th birthday, she handled everything very well and her magnificence continues to impress me. Poor Ceiro is without a companion for the first time in her life. I found out from Mary later that Beau would be fine and make a full recovery. They are closing on their house and moving within three days. After six weeks house sitting for friends’ in the area, they will move out of the country, at which time they will give Beau to a friend. That stung.

My physical wounds are healing, and by sharing Dink’s story, I am given an opportunity for me to begin to heal on an emotional level. It’s important for people to understand that it isn’t the Pit Bull breed that should be banned and feared. It’s the inhumane people in this world that support dog fighting. After witnessing what I have seen, I honestly do not know how “people” can stand by and cheer on for sport. It’s unthinkable.

It’s not always easy, but I do my best to find the positive in every situation. I know that the spirit of Dink is alive and well within everyone that loved him. I am grateful that I don’t have to watch him labor to get up on the couch, or have his legs slide out from under him when he walks around our slick hardwood and ceramic tile floors. He is free from a deteriorating body and of the wounds from his past. I am grateful I won’t have to break up another dogfight. I am grateful that Dark Star can be upstairs with us again. I am grateful that Dink spent the last few years of his life with people that loved and treated him the way he deserved. But most of all, I am grateful for all that is Dinky Doo, for the tremendous love, appreciation, and joy he showered upon me. He was a wonderful teacher who enriched my life.

Somehow, it brings me comfort to believe that he went out on his own terms.

Fighting for those he loved.