By Flores Bakker
Back at home from Sweden's wilderness since yesterday evening. Enjoying the comfort...but missing the silence & genuineness of the wilderness, the humour, warmth, and sincerity of both Katerina, Jachym and Kristyna, and last but certainly not least: all the four legged friends!
The sweet and funny character of Mouse, always making sure there is a White carpet on the couch and famous for doing crazy Indian dances after taking a poo to show her happiness she did her thing, the desolate 'fuck, I am doomed...AGAIN' look of Babeli, the hugginess and cheerfulness of Huggy Bear, the sweetness of Star, the friendliness of Skittles, the sincere pleasure in life of Inuk, the noisy and playful Sparky who's evil grunting is a way of showing he likes you, clumsy Comet, always in for a cuddle, Sherwood, one of the new guys, affectionate and playful, sweet shy Magneto for whom you have to show you deserve his trust, Nugget the calm but strong athlete runner, big-headed enthusiast Grayling (although often found sleeping), fluffy Joey, the once-biting-you-all-the-time-youngster because-it's-fun-but-not-anymore-because-he-grew-up' dog with the funny cartoon ears, Tazlina, the female queen who is sweet to you but quite meany to bitches, Hawky, one of the more vocal guys always on the lookout for cuddles, Frostie, who starts to bob his front paws when he sees good things coming towards him (cuddles, food, running), Bolt, another new comer, who sometimes gets so excited with fun that he doesn't know whether to run in circles, go quickly in and out his little house or jump up to you (I think he wishes he could do all three at the same time), Runner, the singing dog (especially when you approach him with cuddles, food or getting him out for a sled run). The calm Iceman (honoring his name) with his special white coat, Goosak, one of the good athletes, calm around his house, a maniac when about to run, Misa, the female dog who has a very peculiar way of showing you her affection (let's just say, she could get arrested for obscene behavior), Chilly, a reddish fine bloke, Nitro, always honoring his name by running around a lot, Chip, whose jumpy affection might cause you to lose your teeth or break your jaw, the four sweet girls Magpie (black and white beauty), Snowy (announcing your entry into the kennel by a swift 'wooohooooo'), Rapid and Galena (both gallant), naughty Alpha & Charlie, phlegmatic Chisana, wild bright-eyed Dasher (always stealing food from his poor neighbor), Modra (the poor neighbor), modest & playful, jumpy Bravo, who reminds me of Johnny Bravo the cartoon (cool, fun and with a good heart), Krtek, huge appetite, small build, Music, the experimental vocalist, Delia, a senior dignified lady whose melancholy can only be battled by taking her for a long hike, Balto the cat hunter, Maya the Huge Husky and malamute Cooper (a.k.a. 'Big Big Bear'), friends for life and, might I say, also larger than life, JB and Jamie, the youngsters who have a morbid fear of being forgotten at feeding time (at least, their desperate I-want-some-fooooOOOoooOOood-now shrieks seem to indicate that to me and, speaking of which, are quite deafening), old I-have-seen-it-all-now-I-just-want-snacks Buck, poop-eating Chasey (with her infamous and feared face-licking tongue), rebel-without-a-cause youngsters Jameson & Johnny, timid Rizey and even more timid Ziggi (both ultrasweet), Granite - 'stick-fetching is much more rewarding if I skip bringing the stick and just go straight for the snacks', thankful Ginger, who firstly will thank you for taking her out for a hike by jumping up and down and licking you for 10 minutes, the four youngsters I cannot yet remember who-is-who (Sage, Juniper and two others), protective mother Lucky and her litter, informally known as 'The Poopies', famous for bringing fun (when they attack Jachym, Katerina or Kristina) and annoyance (when they do a poo in the kitchen or bite my toes and socks, which they both prefer to do in the early morning when sleepy headed me stumbles into the kitchen), Tjabo the canine longtime friend of Kristina, who saved me two times from being lost (well, it were two rescue-dog training sessions actually that I assisted in but it sounds more impressive like this), and of course the illustre Pipi (gracefully grey cat, who I had to save out of the dog yard from a hungry Balto), her sweet empty-minded sister Ronja, who is as light as a feather in both body and brain, and massive Mio, black and white feline heavy weight and enjoyer of snacks.
Luckily I have some good souvenirs from all of them: memories, pictures, and hairs. Many, many hairs.
