Homer
Rest in Peace Fuzzy Guy
Hill Frost Northr'n DreamTyme
Nicknames: Schnozzle Tank, The
Big Fuzzy Guy
OFA'd, CHD'd, CERF'd clear
26" 85 lbs.
12-15-91 - 8-1-03
We helped Homer across the rainbow bridge at 11:00 Friday, August 1, 2003 at 11 1/2 years of age. He was in pain whenever he moved and spent the morning lying down panting really hard (and eating cheese ;-) like a TRUE Malamute). He's had trouble getting up for 2 years, and has been stool incontinent for almost as long, and yet, just when we would think it was time he would rally. But this week everything gave out at once - his kidneys, his heart, his legs - but not his spirit which made it so hard to do. Like a true Malamute, with the big heart he has, he posed as best he could, for one last picture (below). He had a long good life. Not many dogs get to be the alpha of a true pack. Now it's Hoover's turn to take on the job he's been training for all his life, since Homer never let him forget for a minute who was the REAL alpha... I've lost my rock, but he'll be with his beloved Penny and Bog again - I know he will like that. Rest in peace fuzzy guy - we will always love you!.
Homer was our older alpha male. He handed the reins to Hoover, his grandson, on the condition would be Hoover fair, kind and good to the girls. It took a long time and Homer still felt it was his perogitive (like any senior citizen) to meddle and impart his opinion on things. Homer was not a complicated guy - he was what he was, sweet, caring and gentle. Homer was also a "wooly" Malamute - with a longer, woollier coat. His coat was unusual even for a wooly in that the guard hair was very coarse and could stand straight up almost 8 inches. Homer loved car rides, stuffed toys to carry (the smaller the better) and any kind of sweets and cheese. One Christmas he got a ladybug stuffed toy from his granddaughter Koani would not put it down! His last Christmas he got 2 puppies (at least he thought so)! He adores all puppies and was the first to befriend Gracie and welcome her into our pack. Whereas he was having several potty accidents a day due to his age, they lessened considerably when she came to live with us. She gave him a new reason to live! And then we had little puppies - Riggs and Moya. Holly wouldn't let him near them, so we had to sneak them out for some "grandpa time" - he loved every minute of it. In his younger days he'd steal your underwear and socks to cuddle with. He loved birthdays and ice cream and was the best the happy birthday singer of all. (He had the same birthday as our daughter, Colleen).
Homer was a talker - and many of his children and grandchildren inherited his talkitiveness. He would get the entire pack howling at times. He considered it his job to patrol the fenced yard and mark territory or find a high spot (like the platform in our children's climbing tower) to sit and oversee his kingdom. Homer was the gentliest of souls. He once brought a turtle OUT of his crate. He'd been gently taking care of it there for (?) days and never hurt it. He traded it for a cookie and we set it free. He is not gentle with bunnies, however. Even at 11 he could still hunt and catch them! When he was younger he did therapy work at a school for severely handicapped kids and was one of the first Malamutes to become a therapy dog certified by TDI, Inc. He never demanded anything, and always came when you called him, even if he didn't want to.
He was our puppy raiser and loved to baby-sit in the whelping box with the newborns while mom took a break. Interested from the moment they were born, he was the most gentle with them, and made sure the other dogs played gently with each other and the puppies. As alpha dog he rarely "played" when he was in charge, as it would be undignified, but once he handed the job over to Hoover he must have felt it was ok to play with Gracie, and though he could barely walk, he tried. He has an air of authority and regalness. He would put up with Penny ranking him only because he considered her his special girl (they were like an old married couple! He was lost without her and missed her terribly the last year of his life). We've been told he reminds people of a lion. Yet, he was a pushover with the girls and puppies. They could get away with almost anything, even stealing toys right out of his mouth. Homer loved car rides and it broke my heart to not be able to take him on one last one the last week of his life. He would stand beside me and look out the front window as I drive. Homer was a very special Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa.
Homer's Album
