Spike - This is not a Story of The Blues

When we first met Spike he was called Blue and he was grey/ black in colour.  For a short while he was called Little Boy Blue and then he became Spike.  Spike was the most colourful husky I have ever known, both inside and out.  He saw beauty and felt delight in all that was around him, he found pleasure in things that many of us take for granted.  He was a very special Husky and his essence radiated outwards, shared with all he met.

To view the world from Spike’s perspective ensures a personal experience that warms your heart and lifts your mind.  While greys and blues were Spike’s external colours, his mind was a beautiful never ending rainbow….  

To walk down a path and be entranced by a leaf dancing in the wind; to then gaze at the leaves as they fall from the trees during the Autumn fall, entranced by their natural beauty; to gaze for hours at birds flying high in the sky, wondering where their journey will take them; to bounce like a frog when trying to hunt them….

Spike was fascinated with all that was around him and all the living creatures he met, humans, horses and pigeons were his favourite, but let us not forget the squirrels and cats too.  For some unbeknown reason, he did not react strongly to deer and hares which are the two creatures that our other Siberian Huskies react strongest too.

He was scared of badgers, probably originating from the time one charged straight at him along a narrow path.  I do not believe Mr Brock’s intention was to attack Spike, it just panicked and chose the most direct route home, straight through Spike and the human holding his lead.  Mr Brock was on a collision course with both Spike and I, but we were saved from the impact by the dog we call Superbrat.  There was a short scuffle before Mr Brock decided that a fight with Superbrat was not a good idea and went home to tell his family about the day he took on a Siberian Husky….

Even left-over porridge would light up Spike’s face.  He loved porridge, cottage cheese and mashed potato and would bounce around in sheer delight when they were on the menu.  Give him raw meat and “normal” husky food and dinner would begrudgingly be consumed.

Spike’s naughtiness brought colour into our lives.  In a silent room he would suddenly charge and start shouting, trying to evoke a reaction in the innocent person deep in concentration.  If he was reprimanded he would simply dash out the room and peek his head round the corner, and shout even louder.  This was a game he used to love playing regularly with me, irritatingly distract me and then run away.  When I realised the objective of the game it became easier to pretend to be cross, but hard not to laugh seeing the pleasure that it clearly brought him.

In the darkness of the night, he would awaken the household to let us all know that a hedgehog was trespassing in the garden.  Cue lots of red words from the humans as sleep was adjourned and replaced with the hedgehog emergency rescue operation procedure.

When Spike left us, we entered a very dark world.  It was full of blackness with multiple streaks of blues.  Immense sadness that we would never again see or feel him, hear his shouts or see his smiles.  And as the sadness subsided there were tormenting questions in the mind.  The passing of any young creature always brings those tormenting questions, always wishes and dreams that something could have been different.

As time passes, our lives are becoming colourful again as we remember the lessons in life that Spike taught us and our happy memories of him replace the sadness of the things we never got to show him or share with him.  Spike taught us to see beauty in all that is around us, take joy in simple things and do all that you can when you can.  Seize every opportunity that comes your way and accept everyone for who and what they are.  Spike had a very damaged and disabled body, but he did not let that hinder his positive outlook on life. His determined mind set appeared to give his frail body a special power and ability that defied medical logic.

In September we took Spike to a beer festival in the New Forest where the Ukulele band “The Mother Ukers” was performing.  The lead singer saw Spike happily playing with children and dedicated a song (ironically “Love Cats”!) to him. 

Yesterday we went to a beer festival where the same band was playing.  Unbeknown to me they had learned of Spike’s passing.  They dedicated one of their songs to him and it was not only us that felt immensely profound emotional impact.  The majority of the audience started dancing around and singing, I have never seen anything like it at a CAMRA beer festival.  The crowd responded to that dedication and the merriment continued for the remainder of the band’s performance.

The song they chose was “500 miles” by the Proclaimers.  One day I hope to run again and when I do I want to run 500 miles for Spike.  I want to run each of those 500 miles in beautiful colour.  It will be my tribute to Spike and confirmation that his legacy lives on, in me, in you and in anyone that chooses to view the world in multi layered colour, no matter what life throws at them.

(Eternal thanks to Ian J Berry for his outstanding photos and helping to make me cry with happiness at a beer festival)