I could tell you in detail how Timo came into our lives, but I think most of the people who come to this site already know. I met him at the shelter and fell in love with him. That's all you really need to know. He was the perfect dog.
Mark and I adopted Timo not knowing that we had brought in a dog that would change our lives forever. Timo was a wonderful addition to our tiny family. He was mellow, smart, and handsome. He never asked for much, just food, water, a walk every now and then, and then a tummy rub or two.
I loved working with him on tricks. I remember when he did his first Beg for me after two weeks of thinking he'd never get it. I was so amazed. He got a few other tricks within a couple hours. He'd do anything to get that Pupperoni. It's funny how he was so finicky too. It would have been great if he told us that he would only bring back a ball if it was his, not if it was a dog park ball (because those tennis balls were in other dogs mouths, and that was disgusting, he wasn't taking those germs home!).
You could tell that Timo was protective of others. Though I always joked that he would never protect me from an attacker, he did actually protect a volunteer at the shelter once by getting in between her and the assailant. He would also play "SuperDog" at the dog park and run to the rescue to any dog's bark. Timo always knew when I needed comfort. He'd just come up to me and sit by me, letting me know that I could wipe my tears in his fur and give him a hug.
I miss him everyday. They say that the pain will go away, but I know that it won't and that's okay. He was an amazing dog and I hold every moment I had with him close to my heart. I always felt like it was unfair that God took him away after a year and I wish we had him for a lot longer, but I'm grateful to have had him a part of our lives even for just a bit. We were truly blessed to have him.
We love you Timo, we always will... ♥
I was never much of a dog person. Dogs just didn't "connect" with me. I wasn't scared of dogs, I wasn't annoyed by dogs... I just never really "got it". Michelle is pretty much the opposite. She LOVES dogs! But since I wasn't much of a dog person and had litte interest in getting a dog, she started volunteering at the SF/SPCA dog shelter.
Of course, it was only a matter of weeks before she found "the perfect dog"... and we just had to adopt him! I told Michelle that we couldn't possibly do that... we both work long hours... we were planning to go on a 3-week vacation in a couple months... how are we possibly going to take care of a dog?
But Michelle stayed persistant, we would figure it out... and oh by the way, "he's soooooo cute"!!!
So, strong man as I am, I gave in. It was Super Bowl Sunday (who cares about Football anyways) and I told Michelle: "Alright then, let's go to the SPCA and let me meet this Timo". Timo was indeed a cute dog... and it was as if he knew that he had to persuade me to adopt him... :-)
To make this long story a little shorter: Timo became a part of our family. As I mentioned, I never really connected much with dogs, but Timo slowly but surely changed that entirely. He really was the perfect dog for us... so calm, so well-trained... well, aside from the first few "incidents" where he escaped... but hey that was probably our own fault. Looking back now, those are great memories... from when we took him to the beach and he managed to escape from his collar and just ran off... or when we took him to the dog park and he nudged his way out, through TWO gates! Hey, he never really ran away, he was just having fun! :-)
Yeah, as I'm writing this now, six months after he's passed, I still miss him a whole lot. He truly was a part of our family and it hurts not having him around anymore. It was great coming home from work and having him stand behind the door, being all excited... it was even better on the days when I took him to work with me! Walking along the Embarcadero... he loved it there. Sigh, it's so unfair... Timo was with us for only a little over a year... but in that year, he really became my buddy and he changed who I am today. Sounds cheesy? Maybe, but it's true... you should see me these days when there's a dog walking by... before Timo, I would've ignored it completely and be like "Meh, it's just a dog". Not anymore. Timo changed that... Timo changed me. I miss ya, buddy...