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Zippy aka Small Dog


Carson Crazies
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It has taken me a few days to be able to write this. Zippy came to live with me on August 11, 2005 at the ripe old age of 11. I was told that he entered rescue at 7 years old, and was in and out many times before he came to find his final home with me.

 

He was about 11 pounds of wild man. I'd never had a small dog, and he just took over my heart right away. He declared, from the first moment, that he was a. MY dog, and b. a border collie (even though he actually was a Papillon... but I never argued). Until about a year or so ago he never let me out of his sight. He was the Lord of the Bathmat... and his only preferred toy was one of my socks. He'd grab it up and run off with it - killing it. In fact, his nickname in rescue was "Sock Stealer".

 

He hated being dressed up, and only grudgingly allowed me to put a coat on him in really cold temperatures. He hated being picked up, hated being carried, and only ever sat in my lap under HIS terms. I was OK with this.

 

He loved going to dog trials. He loved making friends, and he loved going on walkabouts. I think some of my favorite memories of him are seeing him on walkies with the border collies at Julie's. He'd just dink dink dink along. Once he got going he was just in a groove.

 

He loved to run and run, and was all about some small dog zoomies. He didn't really play with toys, but he'd play with puppies and he'd play with me. This is my favorite picture of Zippy ever (blurry though it may be):

 

ZippyRun.jpg

 

He helped Ginger to raise four puppies.

 

One of my favorite Zippy memories was the day he helped me teach Nick how to shed. I was out at Julie's house and I was teaching him how to shed with the big flock. I'd had such troubles with the flock clumping against my legs prior to that day. For whatever reason, that day the sheep were just splitting effortlessly. They were staying far enough away from me, and we were shedding fools. BAM and the dog came in. BAM! BAM! I was preening around muttering "Who's your daddy?"

 

Then I caught the barest hint of a flash of white in my peripheral vision. I kept looking and looking and couldn't figure out what it was. I'd turn around... nothing. It turned out to be Zippy. He'd snuck into the pasture (did I mention he was small?) and was following closely behind me, so closely that I couldn't see him for the junk in my trunk. When I finally bent over to see him, he said, "Hi Mom! Hi Mom!". He was sure that we were having an excellent adventure, and for sure we were.

 

Zippy just sort of did his thing, whatever thing it was that he'd decided worked for him that day.

 

This was a dog who actually loved children. The neighbor's child would come over after work, and knock on my door to ask, "Can Zippy come out and play?" We also had a child in the family with Down's Syndrome. Zippy played and played with that child, and didn't care if he yanked his ears or tail. Not only did he not care, but he took it as a sign of play. This was the same dog that used to bite my ex-husband. Go figure.

 

When he started letting me out of his sight about a year ago I knew that we were starting the long walk.

 

I finally just last week made the decision to let him go. His mind, body and spirit were failing him, and I waited until he had one last good weekend. We went to Julie's and had a small walkabout. The day I let him go was one of his better days, comparatively speaking. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but I wanted to let him go while he still had a little dignity left. I wanted him to go with good memories and a little bit of recognition and clarity. I am amazed to find what a giant hole such a small dog can leave.

 

Safe Journeys, Zippy. I know we'll meet again some day. I know you're digging some serious zoomie action at the bridge little man.

 

Zipold.jpg

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What a lovely tribute to Zippy. I have a number of friends with Papillons and they all refer to them as border collies in disguise. It seems to me, that Zippy fit that description :) I am sure that Zippy and Zachary are having some great adventures at the Bridge together...

 

"Grant me the strength to not dwell on my loss.

Help me remember the details of his life

with the Love he has shown me

And grant me the courage to honour him

by sharing those memories with others

 

Let him remember me as well

And let him know that I will always love him"

 

Zippy knows how much you love him..and he will always be in your heart.

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Thank you all so much.

 

Back in July of last year (at 17 years old) he had what I think of as one of his last great adventures. We had gone to Robin's for the weekend, and took dogs down to the pond to hang out for a while. We sat under the trees while the dogs frolicked in the pond. As I sat there and watched, Zippy inched up towards the pond, and then suddenly (I thought) he fell in!

 

I ran down there to find him just standing in the water. It was up to about his shoulders (he was about 11" at the "withers"). Let me stop here to say that while Zippy had previously waded into a creek up to his brisket, he had never offered to get into a pond, and he'd never gone in past his bread basket. Anyway, he appeared to be just standing there looking around. From the bank we could just see his ears swiveling back and forth.

 

Assuming he might be in distress, I walked down to the bank, got in his line of sight, and waved him to me (he was mostly deaf). He crawled out, so I sat back down. Not thirty seconds later there he was in the pond again... standing... ears swiveling. The other dogs were splashing around him, and he just stood there.

 

I sighed, and went down to wave him out again. This time I encouraged him on up the hill... planning to go pick him up and move him away from the pond. That's when the little blighter took off running down the shore line towards the brush. He did an end run around me, and took off around the pond.

 

I just shrugged and went back to my chair. Fine. If he's that determined to play around who am I to argue with a 17 year old tiny dog?

 

A minute or two later he made his way back to the pond and quite intentionally went in. He was up to his withers in the water... just standing and looking. I thought to myself, "Well, I guess he really intends to be in the water. If it's that important to him I'll just leave him be".

 

I'd say he stood there maybe 10 minutes that way until...

 

He started swimming. Yes, really. There was Zippy, out there tooling around the pond.

 

Except...

 

He could not get his face out of the water. He has some arthritis in his neck, so he was tooling around with his ears sticking out, but his face was under water.

 

So out into the pond I went. Fully clothed. I could see his little eyeballs, and I could see the air bubbles coming out of his nose. I grabbed him, and the second his little face cleared the water he started shrieking at me. Obviously he hadn't taken in any water. To add insult to my already soaked injury I got bogged down in the mud at the bottom of the pond and was having trouble getting out. My boots got sucked down in there, so I grabbed at the grass along the edge to try to help me get some purchase (all the while having a vocalizing Zippy under my arm).

 

Julie left the peanut gallery (which incidentally was practically falling on the ground laughing - I would have been) and helped pull ME out of the pond. I had to set Zippy down... and the minute his feet hit the ground the blighter took off running again.

 

Fortunately for me he got caught in the brush again, and Julie yelled "Quick! Grab him while he's stuck!"

 

I squished my way over there, snatched him up, and carried him back to the van. He yowled at me the whole way. While I toweled him off he yowled and flopped like a fish, and continued to voice his displeasure.

 

Clearly he was not finished having fun. The nerve of me.

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Zippy sounds very unique - a "tote dog" that didn't tote. A "lap dog" that didn't do laps. A little dog that liked children. How often will you find a tiny dog like that? Once in a lifetime? Lucky you!

 

Fortunately, Zippy came dressed in the house uniform (black and white) so he blended right in as long as it was on his own terms.

 

Godspeed, Zippy! Off to another great adventure!

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At Robin's - 16 years old on a walkabout. Prior to this video he and the sheep had been standing up on a mound - they were all staring it him, and he at them. They were all, "What IS that?" and he was all "Meh. Whatever." When he turned to walk away, this is what happened:

 

http://youtu.be/9AvZq8axowA

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I am so sorry for your loss, Laura, but I'm glad you have so many wonderful memories and stories of Zippy. Thank you for sharing them. I love the video. I have been thinking off and on for a while now if I ever got a small dog, it would be a Papillon and your wonderful memories have sealed the deal. You and Zippy enriched each others lives.

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At Robin's - 16 years old on a walkabout. Prior to this video he and the sheep had been standing up on a mound - they were all staring it him, and he at them. They were all, "What IS that?" and he was all "Meh. Whatever." When he turned to walk away, this is what happened:

 

http://youtu.be/9AvZq8axowA

There are those that lead and those that follow - Zippy was just the Pied (!) Piper with the Sheep of Shoofly.

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Oh Laura, the swimming adventure and the video...too priceless for words. Zippy certainly enriched your life and he will live long in your memory. Something tells me that Zippy won't be 'resting' easy at the Bridge...there are far more adventurous things for him to do.

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What an amazing little dude! :wub: You have so many fun memories to remember him by, he was obviously special. I know it's been a tough week for you, you've been in my thoughts.

 

Rest in peace, Zippy. Or give 'em heck at the Bridge, whatever you want.

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Your tribute brought fresh tears to my eyes. What a wonderful little man he was, and how lucky he was to spend his last few years with someone who appreciated him. I cab almost see him shrieking at you to let him go swimming again.

 

I wish Zippy and Harley are running together in a big field somewhere and maybe Harley can teach him how to swim. It was a favorite activity of his. Along with Zachary they can show they can run with the big guys.

I am amazed to find what a giant hole such a small dog can leave.

 

Indeed.

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I wish Zippy and Harley are running together in a big field somewhere and maybe Harley can teach him how to swim. It was a favorite activity of his. Along with Zachary they can show they can run with the big guys.

 

 

 

That brought tears to MY eyes. :wub:

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The stories Laura posted are two of my favorite memories of Zippy. Another is when Laura was visiting me at my old place and Zippy was doing a walkabout around the yard. I think we putting sheep in the round pen or something for a training session. Anyway, when Zippy was on a mission it was pretty difficult to get him to change course, as Laura's stories indicate. So Zippy walked past a group of chickens, apparently not paying them any attention. The chickens went ballistic. I don't know what they thought Zippy was--some dangerous predator, apparently--but they set up to screaming, squawking, and flapping as if a fox had just jumped into their midst. I know to pay attention when the chickens sound the alarm, because there usually is a reason. But on this day, it was just Zippy, his little head down, on a mission, walking along, completely oblivious to the total chaos he left in his wake. The image of Small Dog walking quietly past a large group of raging chickens as if they didn't even exist while they clearly thought he was devil spawn is another fond memory that will always make me smile.

 

Oh, and I have to say that I did feel really bad for Laura and her great pond rescue because the rest of us were indeed laughing so hard that we couldn't manage to go help her. And then when Zippy outran her till he got tangled in the tall stuff at the edge of the pond, well, that was pretty much pee-in-your-pants worthy!

 

RIP Zippy. You will be greatly missed by more than just your main human.

 

J.

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I'm sorry for your loss. Your stories make it clear that Zippy was well-loved and came into his own in your care. It's also clear that your memories of him will bring you comfort. He definitely sounds like one of those dogs that I consider an "honorary" border collie!

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At Robin's - 16 years old on a walkabout. Prior to this video he and the sheep had been standing up on a mound - they were all staring it him, and he at them. They were all, "What IS that?" and he was all "Meh. Whatever." When he turned to walk away, this is what happened:

 

http://youtu.be/9AvZq8axowA

 

 

And the look on his face, when he finally deigns to turn his head towards them, is a very clear, "Do you MIND?" Lol!

 

Oh, Laura, I am so sorry. Zippy sounds like a marvelous, larger-than-life, incredible little guy, and the world will surely be poorer for his loss. What a beautiful long life he had with you. I mourn for your loss of a wonderful friend. Thank you and Julie for sharing such wonderful memories of him! :)

 

~ Gloria

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I am so sorry to read this. I've always loved Zippy and the stories you'd tell of him online. Paps have such a way of wiggling into your heart with their tiny bodies and huge personalities. Sounds like Zippy was one hell of a papillon. So sorry for your loss.

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