Dogs

My dogs stay in their crates, unless I am playing with them, or they are eating.  They are not allowed in other parts of the house.  Well.  They can come in the family room only.  They can visit other parts of the house occasionally.  Okay.  They have the run of the house, but they are not allowed on the furniture.  But.  They can sit on the leather couch, and occasionally on the sofa in the sunroom.  Okay. They can sleep on all of my furniture...just not on the beds.  Once in a while they can sleep on the bed, but not under the covers.  Well.  Since they're on the bed anyway, I suppose they can sleep under the covers.  Okay.  My dogs own me.

Bree's Story (Part I)

More than five years ago, my husband and I decided to sell the family home in Chelsea, Michigan.  It was a difficult decision.  We loved the little town of Chelsea.  We raised our children in the little house on Grant Street.  However, things change.  We loved the area, and bought an historic home in the neighboring village of Dexter.  As our children had left home, it was the natural next step.  Michael could have his office in Dexter, and we would be closer to Ann Arbor.  It was perfect.

The little house on Grant Street had always had some interesting neighbors.  The rental flat behind the house, in particular, drew some great residents, all of whom became great friends. 

One year, I introduced myself to the latest tenants: Brad and Karen.  Karen was a wonderful young teacher, and Brad was studying for his PhD. In Rocket Science.  They were lovely friendly, down to earth people.  Kitchen table folks.  They shared their little flat with three gorgeous, (and huge) Alaskan Malamutes.  Brad always named his dogs after satellites or space shuttles.  This seemed particularly appropriate, as Malamutes are such spectacular creatures.  Soyuz and Titan were named after satellites. (I think.)  Brad did a lot of work with Russian scientists,  and was once discussing the origin of the name: Buran (a grounded Russian space shuttle) with the Russian who named the shuttle.  He asked the scientist what the name, Buran, meant.  The scientist said: "BIG snow."  Brad thought that would be a great name for a Malamute.  Buran, Soyuz, and Titan.  Great dogs raised by two exceptional people.  During the years we lived next door to Brad and Karen, we also befriended the Mals.  My youngest daughter was particularly fond of these dogs.  She spent a lot of time playing, and napping with these very special neighbors.  Even my husband, Michael (not a dog person) grew to appreciate and respect these animals.  On occasion, Brad and Karen would take our daughter mushing at a nearby wildlife preserve.  These were very special times.  Eventually, Buran developed a seizure disorder.  Sadly, Brad and Karen made the difficult decision to send Buran over the Rainbow Bridge.  It was heartbreaking to all of us, but particularly to our daughter.  Once, we noticed her throwing little pieces of paper to the wind.  When Michael asked her about it, she told him those were notes to Buran.  It made the tears flow.  We had our own dog, a husky/shepherd cross, we named Calvin.  He was aging quickly.  At least our daughter had him.  Eventually, Brad finished his doctorate, and was offered an opportunity to start a Rocket Science program at MTU in Michigan's upper Peninsula.  As he and Karen were born and raised in the UP, it was a perfect fit for them.  They moved on.  We stayed in touch.  

Calvin started having age related degenerative changes, and developed painful arthritis.  It was so difficult for me to watch.  I loved that dog.  So did my kids.  In a conversation with Brad once, I mentioned this to him.  He said: "Julie, you need a Malamute."  I said: (knowing how expensive those dogs were) "Yep.  I need thousands of bucks, too."  Brad said he would look for a good breeder, and that the dog would be a gift from he and his wife.  I was stunned.  

A few short weeks later, I received a phone call from the breeder.  He had a litter of five pups.  We discussed the details.  All of the pups had been named after characters from "Desperate Housewives", a cable TV show that I had never seen.  He emailed me photos of the pups.  One, in particular, caught my eye.  I asked him about this pup.  They called her Bree.  As I once loved a horse named Bree,  she seemed absolutely perfect.  We made arrangements to have Bree flown in from Minnesota.  My daughter was overjoyed.  So was I.

Michael and I picked up Bree at Detroit Metro that Spring.  I could hear her howls of protest all the way from the warehouse.  When I scooped her up from her crate, I melted.  I was completely smitten.  We waited for my daughter to return from school, anxiously.  When she rounded the corner, and saw the pup on my lap, it was one of those moments.  

We decided to name the pup Grey Mist's Buran Bree.  The breeder asked that we include Grey Mist in her name.  Buran was chosen, obviously, to honor the memory of a very special Malamute.  

The rest of the story: Tomorrow