 1990
– 2004 |
As everyone who has ever been owned by a dog knows, their dog is the best! And of course, I feel no different when it came to Sinjyn.
Sinjyn did not officially come to us until 1992 but we (and half the town of Warner, NH) knew him before that. Sinjyn began his life just up the road from me in a country apartment house. There were no animals allowed but since nobody ever considered Sinjyn an animal, he was allowed to live there (actually I believe his first owner managed the building so that might have had something to do with it). Everyone in the building felt like Sinjyn was their dog!
In 1992, Sinjyn’s owner got a new job out west and decided it would be best for Sinjyn (and the whole town) if he could find someone in Warner who would take in Sinjyn. Well, he didn't’t have to ask us twice – Sinjyn officially took over our household in 1992.
Sinjyn was more
human than dog. The only time he was on a leash was to go to the Vets.
He never barked unless there was a good reason to bark. In his younger
years, during the school year, he would wait with the neighborhood children
at the bus stop in the morning – knowing that there was a good chance
one of them would share their snacks with him. If we weren't’t around
during the day, Sinjyn would wander up the road to his “other homes”
visiting the neighbors. We would have people call us up to ask if they
could take Sinjyn to the lake with them to go swimming! Often I would
get a call around suppertime and one of the neighborhood kids would ask
me if Sinjyn could stay for supper and sleep over!!! And they all kept
Gravy Train (his favorite – make sure you add extra water to make
extra gravy) and a blanket on the floor for him!! Sinjyn’s two favorite
places to go were the dump (they had dog biscuits there) and the Warner
Laundromat!! He would see the laundry basket and get so excited –
he’d start shaking! Of course, it wasn't’t clean laundry that
got him so excited – it was the fact that the Laundromat had cookies
in the snack machine and he knew that if Jack Kelley (the owner) were
there – he would get some cookies! As you have probably gathered
– Sinjyn loved to eat!!! Just don’t give him a banana –
I think that was the only food he didn't’t like!!
During the last few years of Sinjyn’s life, he started to show the signs of age – stiff legs, bad eyes, poor hearing. He was happy to stay home – just to lie outside in the sun and wait for someone to stop by to say hi and give him a pat – and people did stop! And even up until the last day – he had his appetite!!
Anybody that met Sinjyn in his later years, didn't’t get to see him running and swimming – and just being a wonderful playful dog. They saw a big old fat (I still say it was fur!!!!) lazy mutt with lumps and bumps all over his body. But all of us who knew and loved him still saw that playful pup from years ago who would wander up to the bus stop to wait with the kids in the morning.
This fund is set up in the memory of Sinjyn who lived the best life a dog could live.
It is for all those other wonderful senior dogs who, even though their joints are aching and their eyes aren’t clear and their selective hearing has gotten even more selective – once ran and swam and played with the best of them. They all deserve to spend their final years as happily as Sinjyn did!!!