India Friday Likins, 01/24/2006 – 03/08/2022
I grew up allergic to fur and feathers, which meant “no dogs allowed,” even though I desperately wanted one. Therefore, I consider it a minor miracle that one day I happened to stop at a craft store in Burlington, which was both having a major sale and had a resident pomeranian. I immediately discovered lots of small shiny things to buy, but it wasn’t until I’d already been sitting-on-the-carpeted-floor-digging-through-bins for at least an hour that the pom wandered out.
I admit that I panic’d and thought I’d probably stop breathing shortly, but much to my surprise, I didn’t. And so I decided to test my luck a little and stay longer (also, there was about half the stuff I hadn’t gone through yet).
A couple hours later, I’d petted the pom, and even let him lick my wrist, and will admit that I was a little sneezy, but nothing like what I’d have expected for having interacted with a real, live dog. (Especially considering I spent most of the time sitting on a carpeted floor, digging through *very* dusty bins of buttons and bits.)
A hope blossomed, so I started researching and found a wonderful pomeranian breeder with a great reputation (who is now focusing on grandkids not puppies) who was kind enough to let me come bury my nose in her newest litter of puppies. So I met a bunch of bebehs…
…and I fell in love with this one. On the 16th of March, I brought her home, naming her India (because she was black like India ink) Friday (because of the Steely Dan song, Black Friday).
And she’s been the Very Best Pupper – when I met Adrian, she fell in love with him just like I had… she did all her best tricks for him, and she’d follow him anywhere.
He helped her perfect her “monkey hold”:
She’s been so patient, despite all the costumes we (ok, mostly I) dressed her in:
And the ridiculous situations that we (again, mostly I) put her in:
And the bad (and some not-so-bad) haircuts by yours truly
She even tolerated her rambunctious (and probably a little annoying) younger brother, Roman, when he joined us in 2015:
But even the best little girl can’t live forever (though 16 1/4 is very old for a pup), and the past week has brought changes of the not-good sort that made it clear to us that she wasn’t happy any more. So agreed that it was time to say goodbye and “send her off to college” (kind framing thanks to my friend K).
Adrian and I both agree that was the only loving and responsible choice, and we have no regrets about making the decision.
But our hearts are still breaking because our baby girl is gone.
Here are a few more favorite pics of her.
Many more pictures of India and Roman are here and here
Bonus:
Here’s India in the snow:
So, aside from being broken, I have exciting news! The last baby bird (whom I’ve been calling Bitsy) flew today! I had limped to the kitchen to heat a slice of Chicago pizza Jeff’d brought home for me (yah Jeff!), when I saw this:
Realm of the Lint Queen 