travelling with Tank Girl
So the list of ten reasons why I love taking transit is going to have to wait a while because i have a more important reason to write tonight.My mom's dog, Tank Girl, died tonight. Tank's personality and her attitude towards the people who came into her life, like so many lovely Rottweiler/Border Collie cross mutts epidomized both love and loyalty. Whether you were someone who fed her a cookie or took her for a 'car ride' (one of her best hobbies), she could basically size you up and determine whether or not you were worthy of her love. Usually you were. The funny thing is, most people who met her were the ones who ended up loving her instantly. (Cheesy as it sounds I just sent out a group email to all of my friends and acquaintences tonight with the news, I expect a 95% reply rate on the missive.)
Lately I've been thinking alot about the notion of love. What makes people love eachother?Wh love? What makes you fall out of love? How folks love. Tank loved in a lot of ways, but once she loved you, man were you a lucky human. She cuddled like your best friend. She cleaned like your frenetic grandmother. She made messes like your most obnoxious brother. She was really tolerant and above all patient. I used to take her to raves for godssake. She had these super knowing eyes, beautiful milk chocolate brown eyes than would look deeply into yours. When you were down she'd lick your hand gently, nudging you as if to say, "Suck it. I love you. Now lets go to the park." When you were up, it was contagious and she'd be as giddy or happier than you. In my twenty some years I've rarely met many humans or been to many places that were as intuitive and natural in their affection as Tank Girl.
We called her Tank Girl after her chubby puppy figure. My mom got her when I was in grade 12. Both of us were going through our party stage - me because I was about to graduate highschool and was allowed to drink, her because she was a new divorcee sorting through the web of wasted matrimony. A couple of months before we had lost Kootenay, the 'perfect dog'. Kootenay was super smart but just dog enough to be hit by a truck on one of Merritt's major byways. Tank Girl was the replacement and it took us a long time to let go of Kootenay and love her with our hearts. It makes me really sad to think back to how we used to compare her all the time to Kootenay when she didn't house train as quickly or learn her commands in as short a time. The thing is, while Kootenay was the smart one, and loving. Tank's heart was probably twice the size and her imperfections almost made her love and be loved all the more.
So anyways this blog is about transit and travelling so I'll leave you with this little image. The year I took care of Tank when my mom went travelling she took the ferry over to Vancouver with me a few times. She was such a friendly canine that when I would leave her in the canine area in the bowels of the ferry, and would go upstairs for a hot chocolate I'd always return to Tank charming someone. Whether it was a fat faced little pug or a super yuppy Vancouverite, she entranced them in a matter of minutes with her easy smile and her engaging eyes.
Love baby pure love.
posted by Miranda @ Thursday, February 16, 2006
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