While my husband and I were visiting my oldest friend on the northwest coast of Washington last September, we became acquainted with their miniature Schnauzer, a feisty gray and bearded jet stream named Fritz. We teased about taking Fritz home with us as we enjoyed his energy and size. We learned, however, that Fritz’ breed is not known for bonding with other dogs or cats or even small humans. And anyway, I don’t think my friends would have embraced the idea. So we left Fritz to his owners and his buddy, Zeke, the enormous Alsatian--or some other mellow and hirsute breed--that gets along with pretty much any mammal. And instead, we returned home and began a search for a more suitable dog, ending up with Milo, our bichon.
I returned to Washington a few weeks ago and reported on that trip in this blog. Fritz was his same old self but for the recent invasion of two kittens with which he was trying to bond—or at least that was the idea. Like our Milo, he especially liked the tasty treats found in the litter box; so my friends had to make other arrangements for such things, which weren’t so appealing to Fritz. I can’t say I observed him actually warming to the felines, but they were learning to live together after a fashion.
Yesterday, Fritz died after somehow injuring himself a few days before. I think it only fitting that I mention that Fritz was worth getting to know. He was a bit like that challenging high school friend who knew all the answers and had the nicest clothes but whom everyone liked even so. He was a special dog and we will miss him.
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