Snickers

It's time to say goodbye to this old childhood friend of mine, my dog Snickers.

Time to say goodbye to the little puppy who ran up and stuck his paw in my hand at Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose when my parents were thinking of letting me get a dog back in 1996. The same pup who to my surprise and happiness, was one of the two left in his liter a few days later when we decided to go back to the store and take him home with us.

I remember holding him in my arms and paying for him with my own cash. Promises made to pick up his poop and feed him...that over these past 14 years my Dad has let me slide on to the point where Snickers is really his dog more than mine. But I don't think anyone is too surprised by that.

Snickers have given us so many happy, silly moments over the course of his life. And thinking about him brings back memories of people and times that I'm so thankful to have. Like the day we first brought him home and recorded him bouncing like a bunny rabbit all over the front yard. Even when he was big enough to fit into my hands cupped together, the pup had hops. Or memories of when he was still dumb enough to chase the light cast by a flashlight around the kitchen. That didn't last long. Or the night when we first brought him home I heard him crying allllll night long in the kitchen, went into his pen to comfort him, and then discovered a worm crawling up my pajamas. A trip to the vet fixed that problem....

Then there were the multitude of amazing tricks my Dad taught Snick - turning him into the WONDER dog. Jumping through hoops, weaving through legs, spinning, sitting, and SNEEZING on command. All for a slice of American cheese. We were always so proud to show off the Wonder Dog to our friends whenever we'd bring them over for a visit - friends from high school, college, grad school and beyond.

I can't think about Snickers without also thinking of my Grandpa and his love hate relationship with our dog. The old Sias family mutt Rocky would have very little to do with puppy Snickers. But once Rocky was gone Grandpa came around to the new dog in the yard. I can remember how he'd call him "Sneakers" with his slight Mexican-accent, and how after screaming our lungs out at the dog to do our bidding when he was being disobedient, a stern "NO!" from my Grandpa would do the trick. I later learned to impersonate that voice and it was somewhat effective.

My mind also goes back to some quiet times spent on the back porch during my most uncertain teenage years. Just me and my dog. Someone I could talk to and play with when I felt pretty alone in the world. Snickers was never a lap dog, but he was a good companion.

It's really hard to say goodbye to him, it feels like I'm saying goodbye to a part of my childhood, but I know it's the right thing to do, and I'll cherish these and many other memories that include this spunky lil guy. But for now, for this moment, it's just me and him in the front yard. Enjoying one last summer afternoon in Mountain View together.