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admin
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Posted: Wed Jun 18th, 2008 09:44 pm |
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This is from my uncle, who adopted Iffy, a sato from the main island, and as you can tell from his letter, a great dog, and a better friend.....if you have the chance to adopt a sato, you will truly be blessed.
Dear Family and Friends,
Our beloved Iffy died early yesterday, after a long but very slow bout with kidney failure that we never detected during his first 6 years. He was so energetic and happy during those years, bounding like a gazelle after squirrels and deer the minute we let him out, that it never occurred to us that he could have serious health problems. A routine blood exam when he was 6 revealed the problem, but even then he had energy to spare.
I recall that Steve once took Iffy for a walk on the beach in Kitty Hawk, and suddenly Iffy took off like the wind, leaving poor Steve half a mile behind. Being an "intact" male, Iffy also roamed far and wide whenever he could slip away (he learned how to fade silently behind trees) well beyond the confines of Beall Mountain. Whenever he disappeared I would set out in my truck, shouting his name right and left. Maybe I recovered him that way a dozen times in all, but his roaming territory was so vast that most of the time we simply had to wait until he was ready to come home. We would leave the front door a bit ajar, so that he could push through at any hour and come into our room tired but happy. I worried about his escapades, but Margaret was right in thinking he knew his territory and always returned through the woods, avoiding roads.
When we found him as an abandoned puppy in central Puerto Rico, Iffy was a tiny greasy-grey creature, cowering under parked cars at a Shell station and eating food that had spilled out of a trash bin. When we took him home and washed off the oil, he turned out to be white and tan, and within a few days he was an integral part of our family. He was the only pet at the Amos Gibson Bahá'í Center, and he came and went through a makeshift pet door. He house-trained himself, first in Puerto Rico and then in our other homes that lacked pet doors.
Many of you saw Iffy at Christmas 1999, in Puerto Rico, still not fully grown. Kim also saw him there, but for the first time Iffy suddenly fell quite sick. Our guess was that he had been bitten by a snake or spider, plentiful and deadly in that tropical vegetation. I wonder if that was not the start of Iffy's kidney problems.
Once or twice we took Iffy across Puerto Rico and by ferry to Culebra, to visit Merry and Marc. In mid-2000 we took him by plane from Puerto Rico to Sharps, where for some months he had a wonderful time with the local dogs, coming and going as he pleased.
From Sharps we moved back to Potomac, but Iffy also visited California twice: once by plane and another time by car. On the Ranch in Hemet we learned that Iffy could track and find people over long distances. Luckily the coyotes left him alone.
Still, Iffy's most remarkable quality was his disposition. He was always sweet, and wanted to be as close as possible to us. He was never aggressive with adults or children, and allowed our grandchildren to climb all over him. His barking was reserved for people approaching the house or, strangely, people jumping into our swimming pool. He was afraid of the water, and thought it was swallowing us! That was my fault: I had taken him into the "Bishop's Pool" in Arecibo and forced him to paddle back to shore, which he did that once but never again.
So we were very lucky with Iffy. We had nearly 9 years with him, and all but the last few months were delightful. Our house already feels half empty without him.
____________________
Life is short. Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile!
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bayberry
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Posted: Thu Jun 19th, 2008 12:55 am |
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| Iffy was a perfect example of the exceptional personality of sato dogs. They have a way of becoming a REAL member of the family. May Iffy find delicious scents and super doggie bones wherever he is. His spirit will be in Culebra as well as with his devoted family
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admin
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Posted: Thu Jun 19th, 2008 01:56 pm |
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here is Iffy on alert for squirrels and any other thing that might be chased, licked, or loved....
Attachment: Iffy006.jpg (Downloaded 31 times)
____________________
Life is short. Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile!
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beachbound
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Posted: Thu Jun 19th, 2008 03:03 pm |
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| I am so sorry for the family's loss. He was a really cute guy that sounds like he had so much personality!! I'm sure the good memories will keep a smile on their faces for years to come.
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Island Woman MJ
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| Joined: | Mon Dec 25th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jun 20th, 2008 03:53 am |
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there is a dog up the street from me that looks like Iffy's kin. We don't know who she belongs to, as she always seems to be on the street, but she looks healthy and seems happy. I'll try to get a pic of her.
Glad you had the joy of Iffy in your life for so long, and sorry you will be missing a friend.
____________________
Salva lo que queda! Save What's Left!
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