The Vegas Voice 3-21

46
An Ode Owed to Moose
By: Susan Roberts / Guest Column
In 2005, when my daughter left for college, I
decided I needed a puppy. I should have done
some research on breeds. Instead, I went for cute.
There he was, this tiny ball of fluff, with a face that stole my heart.
This 5 lb. Lhasa Apso puppy was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
He completely took over my life.
Thinking he’d be 10-16 pounds, we thought it would be funny
to name him Moose. At 25 pounds of solid muscle this fun-loving
rambunctious little guy grew into his name.
My mischievous, too smart-for-his-own-good clown was constantly
in trouble. His first week home he got his head stuck in an empty tissue
box, needing rescue.
One day, I found him standing in the kitchen sink. What a mud
bath! He had pushed the kitchen chair to the counter, jumped in, and
knocked the plants off the windowsill.
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March 2021
Another time, he gently pulled a glove off the hand of a woman
standing nearby, trying to run with it. Attached to his leash, he didn’t
get far. He did lots of crazy things.
As he grew into an adult, I learned that Lhasas attach to one person
becoming very protective. That person was me.
He would growl and snap menacingly at anyone who might seem
threatening. He became very aggressive and bit a few people, including
my husband.
We had to tell people, “Don’t look at him. Don’t touch him. Ignore
him and he’ll ignore you.”
Sadly, in January he passed away at the age of 15 ½. I loved that
cranky boy. I was his mommy, and he was my baby.
Moosey, my problem child, it has been well over a month since you
left me. I will never stop loving you, my first ever pet, my furry four
legged child. My heart breaks with missing you, tears still flow.
Raising two children was easy compared to you, my moody, anxious,
cantankerous canine. I thank the universe every day for giving me the
opportunity to love and care for you, my fuzzy boy.
I owe you so much for all the love you gave me. I miss you. You are
in my heart forever!