The first man in my life

I love the boys; something about a male dog.  The boys are different, more Momma's boys.  I love my girls dearly but the boys just seem to melt me.

Clyde was one of my heart dogs. If you are lucky you will have at least one heart dog in your lifetime, I've already had several. Sadly I think many people have had or have a heart dog but they just don't know it. It takes time to know your dog and time to build a relationship. I spend hours upon hours with my dogs, watching, listening, playing, learning and just plain chill'n with them.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I drove out to North Gower, Ontario, Canada to choose my new brown boy. At first glimpse the task seemed insurmountable, there before me lay a sea of brown curly puppies. I'd landed in heaven somehow.  Way back when, I was there to choose whoever I deemed the cutest.    The task was made easier immediately by the fact that I wanted a boy. I have to admit I have a soft spot for the boys and anyone who has never had a male should do so. I'm not really sure at this point why I chose Clyde, he was adorable and brown just like his brothers but for some reason I thought this little brown boy should be mine.

Once home it took no time for us to bond. I remember one day running down to the basement; on my return back up the basement stairs I looked up to see standing quite proudly at the top, Clyde. He was too small still to make the death defying traverse down the stairs and could not wait for me to get to the top. He stood with his whole body quivering and as I rose up over him I could see his tail was vibrating "different tail I thought to myself."

Clyde had an amazing personality, happy, devoted, loyal and friendly to everyone. That is unless he felt the need to protect his family, not too many people know what amazing guard dogs standard poodles are. Clyde loved nothing more than spending the days by my side no matter what I was doing. Cross country skiing? He'd get harnessed and take me for a ride. Skating? He'd run along the snow banks out back on the pond to stay with me. Doing errands? Clyde loved to ride in the car. Even if I was washing the car Clyde would sit for the entire time it took to wash the car in the drivers seat and wait patiently.

Clyde was amazing, he was not a big thinker; he was more a doer. He loved to wrestle with my husband and it got rough but they both enjoyed the rough and tumble. He loved to hike and loved to go on our daily adventures through the back forty. I will never forget him and often mistakenly call out to him in error. It is a slip of the tongue but one that makes me smile. To the end he had a vibrating tail, it never wagged but vibrated. Clyde is still in my heart and always on my mind.