I had a busy and wonderful day today. Now I’m ready to fall asleep but before I do, I thought I’d do a quickie post about my dog Zeke. He’s big and black with pointy ears and a pointy nose, a Belgian Shepherd mix who stands as high as my mid-thigh. He has a direwolf nickname because he looks as imposing and wild as one.

Sweet Siblings

Zeke was a shelter dog. He was about six months old when we got him and when we brought him home, chaos ensued. He barked at any “intruders” and tried to herd the kids. He was alert and super smart. I never had to train him because if I gave a command just a few times, he understood and obeyed. On meeting our female dog, Olive, he wagged his tail and ran hard with her, barking and yelping with joy. They’d chase crows across the yard, watch for squirrels, bark at the calls of other dogs. For years, they tore apart one section of lawn with their wrestling until I used a temporary fence to block it off. They brought the hijinks inside too. I’ll never forget when their rough housing knocked over a lamp and crashed its ceramic shade to bits. They had the most comically shocked look on their faces. It was insane and delightful.

Fading to Black

At night, when I let him out to go potty, he trots down the steps and fades into the night. Completely disappears. If I want to find him, I have to get out the flashlight and connect with his glowing dog eyes. This has spawned the nickname Shadow, which I think of as his Game of Thrones name. If he were a part of that world, that’s who’d be, almost like Ghost’s opposite. Though in personality he’d be just as loyal and dedicated. He’s a gem.