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Published: October 17th 2008
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She came to us as a puppy, unexpectedly dropped off on our front door 13 years ago at a time when having a dog was absolutely out of the question. But MaryAnne and Craig wanted her and they begged and made promises and I gave in, as I always did.
Those first few weeks she barked all the time, was difficult to house train and for the next 13 years destroyed everything in her path during thunderstorms.
Holidays involving fireworks were dreaded unless she was heavily sedated. We learned this the hard way after an especially unfortunate incident involving plumbing fixtures, a flooded laundry room and fireworks on the 4th of July.
She was hyperactive and argumentative and would pick a fight with every dog she didn't like.
Once she almost got us kicked out of the Ashley National Forest (the King's Peak trail) because of her bad behavior. (We were allowed to stay but I had to promise Park Rangers she would not cause any further trouble...and I had to promise I would never bring her back.)
Nevertheless, we all loved her. Not once in her life did we ever consider getting rid of her.
Malone & Me
In Memory Grove May 2008. For all the trouble she caused, she brought that much more joy and then some into our lives. She was ecstatic to see me every time I walked in the door and would dance around on her front paws with a big doggie smile on her face until I gave her a doggie treat.
She was our hiking buddy and went backpacking with me and Craig every summer (though we avoided King's Peak after 2003). She had her own pack and carried her own food and treats though regardless of the weight she was carrying, she would chase any animal she saw and we had to be especially diligent in spotting the moose before she did!
All in all, during these backpacking trips she was fairly well behaved...at least until the sun went down. When it was cold in the tent she would burrow to the bottom of my sleeping bag and pant loudly until she became too hot and had to climb out again, only to remember it was freezing outside and proceed to climb back into my sleeping bag again, keeping me awake for most of the night; there was never enough room for both of
us. I always looked forward to the morning when I could get out of the tent. She always looked forward to the morning when I would get out of the sleeping bag.
She recognized my backpack instantly and during her later years, when arthritis prevented her from going with us, I had to resort to hiding it if we couldn't take her along, for she would howl in the most blood curdling way if she saw I wasn't getting her pack ready, too. I would always tell her how sorry I was she couldn't go with us, but that never stopped her from taking revenge on us. One time, right in front of me, she jumped up onto a brand-new Ethan Allen sofa (where she wasn't allowed) and peed on it...all the while looking right at me. I was too stunned to react and could only turn to the children and say, "she must be really mad."
In 2004 when Craig and I left for a week-long backpacking trip into the high Uintas, Bruce thought we had taken her with us when she came up missing. We returned home a week later and chaos and panic ensued when
Malone & Duke
On the trail to King's Peak in the Ashley National Forest 2003. everyone finally realized Malone was gone. We found her at a shelter several miles away, badly injured as she had been hit by a car during her escape from the house. A large veterinarian bill and several months later, we began allowing her to go pretty much wherever she wanted.
Malone was the smartest dog I have ever known. Years ago I locked myself out of the house and went around to the back where we had a sliding glass door. With her inside and me out, I pointed to the wooden dowel laying at the bottom of the door, encouraging her to get it out. She used her front paws to dig furiously at the dowel until it popped out. She was always rewarded for especially good behavior with Kentucky Fried Chicken...her favorite. We would pull into the drive-thru and she would always get really excited, knowing it was for her. (I'm sure Malone's up in Doggie Heaven regaling all of her listeners with outrageous stories about the fast-food restaurant just for dogs! Most of them will be confused, of course, for their humans probably ate KFC!)
She was all I had left of a life that
seems completely foreign to me now. Once upon a time I was a stay-at-home mom whose life revolved around two practically-perfect children. My days were spent driving them to and from various schools and activities. Of course, Malone always went along for the ride.
Malone has died and we are all very sad. She was dearly loved.
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Perry
non-member comment
Malone
Hi Debbie sorry to hear about Malone I lost Foxy my american eskimo in may she was about 16 and went blind about a year ago I had her in the hostipal for about a week and she just didnt get better, and I lost Coco my chihuahua in july he was 17 he was in the hospital for about a week and I would go and see them both in the morning and after work, I really miss them, I still have Jerusha my standard poodle and Bugsy my bosten terrrier and my cats I adopted Rascal who comes and gos through the doggy door and Tigr and TK who is a kitten who stay in the house. I dont hunt and I like animals more than most people, and I have a parrot a conure and a love bird and I try to take care of and feed about eight wild cats I dont know what to do with the wild cats they let me pet them. Good to hear from you. Thanks Perry