Happy Birthday, Shoko!

When we lived in Israel I had a friend, Marina, who was always rescuing abandoned dogs and cats from the street. She just could not pass by if she saw a miserable animal who was apparently lost or abandoned.

She would pick it and take with her and then she would find a home for it. Marina had her own pets in the house, so she tried not to keep rescued animals, but she would try to find someone who would adopt a pet. She would call all her friends, friends of her friends, or even she would call on radio talk shows with announcements.

On a rainy day in February, 1998, Marina was on her errands when she saw a small group of little children teasing a small critter. It was a little puppy, all wet and shivering, skinny as a skeleton. Marina asked the kids, whose puppy was it and got an answer that it was no ones, it was just wandering in the street.

Not thinking twice, Marina grabbed the puppy, shoveled it under her coat and took it home.

Next day she stopped at my work and told me about the puppy.

When I was a child I had a pet, a dog called Daisy for short (but her full name was Desdemona, no less no more). She was a mix breed, a dwarf pincher and toy terrier mix. She lived till old age and when she passed away my mother took it so hard that we never had another pet.

When my son was big enough, I decided that I just have to take a pet for him to teach him responsibilities. I did not want to buy an expensive pure breed dog, but I wanted to adopt a dog from the street. I considered that this way it will be a more valuable lesson for my son to learn.

That's why when Marina stopped at my work and told me about a little critter she rescued from the street and said that the doggy, a little girl, looked like a mix of a dwarf pincher, my heart immediately prompted me that this dog was intended for us.

The same night my son and I went to Marina's house to pick up the dog even without seeing it. My son had a coin of 5 shekels (about 2 dollars in that time conversion rate) to pay Marina a symbolic price, because it was a concept among pet lovers of never taking a pet without at least symbolic price.

When Marina opened the door, we were attacked by a tiny furious critter that was all just teeth and ears. Her aggressiveness was of a defensive type. However, she was not afraid of us, she was just afraid that we are going to take her away with us.

And we did!

Though I must confess that at the first glance I did not really like the dog; no wonder, after such an active reception. My son also confessed later that he expected to see something fluffy, hairy and white. However, we definitely came to pick up this puppy, so there was no way out.

By the time we got with this little dog home, our hearts were already sold to her.

At first we were thinking to name her Daisy, after my dog. But grandma came up with a better name for this little skinny critter. We named her Shoko, because she was of brown color.

There is a brand of chocolate milk in Israel, the most delicious that all kids like, it is called "Shoko". Our new member of the family was of the same color as chocolate milk.

Shoko became a member of the family from the first day. My strong concept is that people should never adopt a pet into the house if they are not going to make it a member of the family. Adopting a pet is a big responsibility and one should think hard before adopting a pet. If a person adopts a pet, it should be final, no way back. No giving it away after several weeks or months unless a very serious cause is present (like severe allergy, or the like). One of my friends (well, sadly, she is my friend, though we are so different in all our ways) just juggles with her animals. She adopts a dog or a cat, then circumstances come up and she passes the pet further. Just like this, it always "circumstances", never her fault. 

If one takes an animal to the house just as a temporary matter (like Marina, who gives rescued animals an emergency home, but then finds for them an adoptive family)- it is another pair of shoes. But if you made a decision to adopt a per, you should take care of it like it would be a member of your family, the same responsibility.

It is not our way. If we adopt a pet, it is a member of the family. Like Shoko.

When we moved to USA in 2001, we took her with us. When we went to Israel to visit grandma in 2005, we took Shoko with us too, because we could not leave her with anyone. I wrote about travelling with a pet by air, because we know this experience first hand.

When people asked me, "What breed is she?", I used to say, "A mix of a rat and a butterfly", because her ears were bigger than her head and she looked like a rat overall.

Shoko was a tiny weak critter, she was all in wounds and worms when we got her. The vet checked her and estimated that she was most likely about four months old, it would make October 1997 the month of her birth. We picked up the middle, October 15th for her birth date and since that time my son celebrates Shoko's birthday every year.

Today his Facebook status says, "Happy Birthday, Shoko!"

But when we adopted her I was not even sure if she might survive at all, so weak and skinny she was. Even when she started to gain weight and became more self-assured I doubted that she might live long. Look at her now; she is growing older and still as lively as a puppy.

Happy birthday, Shoko! And please, live with us for a long time, long, as long as possible.

She still plays as if she is young. She has a character of her own and her character is no sugar, really. It seems that she remembers the hard days of her early childhood and she does not trust anyone, except us. She is aggressive with newcomers and big dogs, because she learnt it hard way how to protect herself. She is the Boss and she will show it to anyone. Big dogs get scared when this this pooch "attacks" them.

In Israel there was a huge German Sheppard in the neighborhood, just huge. When Shoko barked at him for the first time, he even didn't see her, he was looking around, over her head to find out who was this noisemaker. But after Shoko got closer and the German Sheppard saw her, he put his tail under his legs and rushed to his owner. The owner didn't believe his eyes. The same thing happens with any big dog around her. Shoko is the boss.

Interesting, what she is saying to them that they are openly afraid of her?

Shoko is very lovable and affectionate with us.

We think that if she was lost, or thrown away, she came from an abusive family, maybe even from a family where the kids were bitten with a belt. When you touch a belt (take a belt into your hands to put it into the pants), she becomes very anxious, she starts barking in a screaming way and jumps around you.

If you jokingly start striking somebody or wrestling, Shoko goes crazy. We never play noisy games anymore around her, like wrestling, or tapping each other, because we are afraid that Shoko might get a heart attack from her anxiety.

Shoko can cry silently with tears.

First time we saw it just several days after we adopted her. My son took Shoko to his friend's apartment. The boys were just sitting and chatting, Reuven was holding Shoko in his arms. The friend's mother looked at Shoko and said, "She is crying". Shoko's eyes were full of tears and tears were rolling down her face! Reuven rushed home with her, because he understood that Shoko was anxious that he might leave her to his friend.

Shoko cries every time when we take her to a new place. We stopped taking her with us when we have to enter somebody's house.

That's why we had to take her with us when we went overseas to visit grandma, we just cannot leave her with anyone, it will be a total tragedy for Shoko.

She is enough self-assured now to know that she is safe with us, but we still think that she remembers her "hard childhood" 

You can see in the pictures that while in Israel Shoko didn't have long hair. She had more like a skin, similar to Doberman's type.

We moved to America, Wisconsin, in November 2001.

Both of them, my son and Shoko saw snow for the first time. My son was so happy to learn at least what snow is and how it feels, he was playing in snow all the time.

Shoko was perplexed. She was very apprehensive of this white cold stuff and for several days she wouldn't go into snow for her needs.

She would go around and around until she would find a small uncovered patch of grass to do her needs.

When snow covered everything in the yard, it took her some time to learn that snow wouldn't mind if she abused it.

We had to make for her a warm coat and shoes, otherwise she was not able to spend even short time on the snow.

To our great surprise, by the end of the winter Shoko's body was covered with a nice fur. Nature gave her a warm coat for protection! Isn't it amazing?

Our dog definitely understands three languages! Some things she obeys better when said in Hebrew (commands like "No!", "Place!"), some things she listens better when said in English (like "this way", "come here"). But when you start talking to her in Russian, she starts answering you, in her own way, how only she can talk. She would produce unimaginable sounds that would make you laugh and wonder!

Shoko is rather talkative, especially when you come home from work. Though she is happy to see you, but oh, she will tell you everything she thinks about you, and sometimes her tone of voice is so reproaching and blaming, that you are really glad that you speak different languages.

In 1998, on October 15th, Reuven threw for Shoko her first Dog's Birthday party on the lawn next to our apartment building. He invited every dog from the neighborhood. He bough several packs of dog's treats and was treating every guest.

The dogs and their owners had a great time celebrating Shoko's first birthday!

My cousin said once about Shoko: "This dog had personal acquaintance with God", meaning that God arranged for Shoko to be adopted into our family.

Every year we make some kind of a birthday party for our dog.

You can do it too! Of course, your pets do not understand what's going on and most likely they have no idea that it is a Dog's Birthday Party, but they will enjoy your extra attention, special treats and all the fuss around them.

What is even more amazing, you yourself will have fun throwing a Birthday Party for your pet! Yes, it is a little bit silly, but I guarantee, it will be fun!

You may invite your friends with pets to come to your party (just mind that the dogs go along together fine and won't fight. My dog goes along well with small dogs who accept her leadership).

Make funny colorful invitations and send them out to your friends with pets. Put pictures of a Birthday Dog all over the place.

If you are making a party outside in your back yard, make sure that the space is protected with some kind of a fence and the dogs won't run all over the neighbors property.

If you are making your pet's birthday party inside the house, make your house "dog's proof".

Get many toys for pets to play and mind that the toys are "pet friendly". You may even give some toys to the "guests" as a party souvenir.

Don't forget to take lots of pictures! It will be something to have a nice memory of your pet's birthday party!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHOKO!

Shoko was 17 years old... Besides her age related illnesses they found a huge tumor in her bladder. I will not describe how I tried to keep her with us with the help of trans dermal Tramadol as long as I could....

Time came when we had to say farewell to our beautiful devoted dog....

Shoko, you will be remembered forever. Enjoy your time on a Rainbow Bridge... until you will jump into my hands again....