The Year of Living Siriusly

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky.

Sirius had his first birthday last Sunday.  We let it pass mostly unnoticed, not that the dogs are ever unnoticed.  I had threatened to throw a birthday party for him and make a big fuss, which my daughter thought was a ridiculous idea, so I relented (and secretly decided to do it instead on his "delivery" day to celebrate the anniversary of his joining Rooney and Geddy and restoring the Collie Army).  But it felt wrong not acknowledging it really, so I'm righting that this weekend by looking back over the first year, or the part we played in it anyway.

If you're just joining us, Sirius was the result of a long, sometimes heartbreaking search to bring my brood back to three.  Rescuing a collie in this region turned out to be harder than winning a Stanley Cup.   You might be wondering silently if it's because we're somehow not worthy, but I'll candidly tell you I can't buy that.  And finally, fortunately, neither could another collie owner in Louisiana with a litter of Scottish Rough Collies.

The first photo I saw of Sirius

I remember the day I learned which of her pups would be mine.  We had taken Baby H to the Aviary and were sitting on a bench in the dog park at the Allegheny Commons Park right outside the Aviary that I would see the following week in an episode of Downward Dog - right down to that exact same bench.  Baby H was playing with his parents on a blanket a few feet away, and I checked my phone and saw the message that we'd been matched with him.  I screeched with joy.

I had hoped it would be the little tricolor male if I was being honest, despite having told her I'd be happy with any of her remaining litter.  And I would have, but there was a piece of me that had already started falling in love with the tricolor pup with the Harry Potter character name.  Not that his breeder had done that on purpose actually.  All the litter had names related to the solar system.  But as Harry Potter fans, we thought it serendipitous.

He had been matched to us based on personality with the idea that we had a small child in the home.  He was the most demure, as I understand it, which is pretty funny to think about.  He either came WAY out of his shell with us or that was a wild bunch of pups!  But he is gentle and incredibly tolerant of Baby H.  That has always been true.I had wanted him to grow with Baby H, and be his companion, which he is.  But somewhere along the line he just became a special companion to me too, and I can't imagine life without him.  I wake up sometimes at night, troubled by this or that, as adults with a lot of responsibility are wont to do, and will see him laying next to the bed, like he's watching over me.  I'll touch him like a talisman and am able to go back to sleep.

He follows me up the stairs, back down the stairs and up again.  Like a tricolored shadow.  A constant and true friend, keeping me company as I do my chores so I'm never lonely.

He has a joie de vivre that has sustained me through what ended up being a difficult year.  It's hard to be unhappy when he's dropping his ball in your lap and looking at you with that happy face.

It hasn't all been sunshine and roses obviously.  He's eaten his share of baby books.  Oh, and adult ones too, of course.  I've lost count the number of stuffed animals that have suffered a violent end because of either Geddy or Sirius (Rooney is a baby sock eater - she's never once touched a "stuffie", but you can't leave socks anywhere she can get them).  And of course, he barks with that big booming voice of his.  Just ask any of my neighbors.

But, who among us is perfect?  It's our quirks that make us precious to our loved ones.

I love all my dogs.  They are different in their personalties and so what they need from me differs a little as well.  Sirius needs me to be playful and silly, and I think that's good for me.  Especially now.  Sometimes things happen for a reason that you don't fully appreciate at the time.  He was the perfect dog for us.  At the perfect time.  All that struggle and heartache that ultimately led us to him means nothing now.  I am Siriusly happy that he's a member of our pack.

Happy birthday, my good boy.  May this be the first of many, many more!