My favourite man - Rigel

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Photo: Rigel - Summer 2009

I'm sitting here, absorbing the news. It's not a surprise, but it's still a shock. A few weeks ago, Rigel experienced muscle collapse on one side of his face. The vet wasn't sure what it was but just thought it was some kind of common disorder that dogs get for no reason and which usually clears up. It didn't, and Rigel began to lose weight and energy. Today Rigel had a vet appointment with the specialist and he has been diagnosed with trigeminal neuritis which I guess is a brain tumor. An MRI will confirm this diagnosis but that costs $4000. Even if diagnosed as a tumor there are very few vets who will touch something so close to the brain. So basically, my little boy will just have to live with it - meaning he has anywhere from a few months to up to two years to live. It's really hard to accept this as he is not even four years old. I wish I were home right now to see him.

I first saw Rigel when he was just a few days old. A little potato shaped object who couldn't walk and couldn't even open his eyes, Rigel captured my heart from day one. The next time I saw him, he was eight weeks old, a fat, rambunctious little creature, with a sad face but a happy heart.

We brought him home when he was eight weeks old and he has since brought joy to our lives. He's always been a bit of a comedian, he loves to play, wrestle, be chased and receive attention. His favorite game is "stick" and if you happen to be innocently standing in the back yard of my parents' house you will be challenged to wrestle the stick from his grasp. This is a challenge as he is very strong and doesn't let go easily. The only way to end the game of stick is to pry it from his grasp, throw it across the yard, and run away as quickly as possible while he runs after the stick. If you don't do this, the game will continue all day as Rigel is a tireless "stick" player.

Rigel also loves his walks but hates the leash and will roll around on the ground when leashed just to piss you off. He loves to run in the offleash areas, meet his girlfriend Rosie for a race, and meet other doggy friends along the way (he is very popular on the Brentwood bike path). He is insanely jealous when other animals receive attention, especially my guinea pigs, and will insist on eating whatever they eat, be it guinea pig pellets, carrots or grass. He hates when people spend time on the computer and will nudge your arm, bump you with his nose, place his head on your arm, and if all else fails, jump up so that his feet are on the keyboard, preventing all typing. He never barks except at the lawn mower, and he loves every one and everything.

Video: Rigel and the lawnmower

I've known him since he was a few days old, I took him for his very first walk on the first day we got him, and I've missed him so much since coming to Turkey. Each time I return, he greets me like an old friend, with a wagging tail, some kisses, and a race to his nearest toy so that I can make up for lost time.

Yadi says that he doesn't want a dog because of the pain of losing them. I disagree. Yes, it's hard to lose them, but nothing compares to the joy of having them for the short period of time you get to spend with them. Nothing will love you as much as a dog, nothing else in the world will listen to you moan and whine without complaint or judgement, and nothing will forgive you as easily and quickly as a dog. Dogs don't gripe about our bad breath, our stinky feet, and our mood swings, instead, they listen to everything you say, compete with you for first place in bad breath and loud snoring, and readily accept the blame for a stinky fart. Dogs are our best friends and the perfect boyfriend - always home, happy to see you, and completely trustworthy.

I've always had pets. My sister and I started out small with fish. Fish are unexciting. They live for a few days and then make the lonely journey to Fish Heaven via the sewer system. We then graduated to guinea pigs, who, contrary to popular belief, make fantastic pets. They love to cuddle, they love to be fed, and you can even train them to squeak on command! They recognize their owners, love to curl up and lick a hand or a face, and will sometimes pee on you (always a pleasure) or take a bite out of the book you are reading. We then had some rabbits while living in Ethiopia. Rabbits are a difficult pet, at times loving and at other times snarling and snapping. They also have really long claws and I still bear the scars of angry rabbit kicks. I don't recommend rabbits.

After moving back to Canada, we finally got a dog. A lovely, gentle, affectionate boxer by the name of Daphne. Daphne gave us ten years of friendship and loyalty. She loved everyone, would protect her family to the death, was gentle with guinea pigs, children and elderly people and was an all around sweetheart! She had a love for getting in to the garbage, but would always apologize profusely afterwards - a dog with a conscience!! We loved her very much.

Photo: Daphne in Madagascar

Daphne was such a sweet dog that we wanted something from the same pedigree as her. My mom did the research and found Daphne's great niece (or something), Rigel's mom. And guess what? Puppies were on their way! We staked our claim and were soon awarded with Rigel!

Photo: Rigel's mom and her baby boy

This post isn't a goodbye to Rigel as I'm hoping he will live for awhile yet. This is merely a way for me to unload some feelings that have been plaguing me for the last few weeks. I'll update as I learn more about his condition. For now, he is still the same, loving, sweet boy but a little less energetic and apparently a little strange looking. I can't wait to see him in August!

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why. ~Author Unknown

Fasil - not fossil - night

Photo: Kate and Yadi

Last night my friend Kate, her friend Ender, Yadi and I went to "Hanci" for Fasil. Hanci is located in the tiny historical neighborhood in Ankara known as Ulus, the area where you can buy carpets, see a castle and visit an Anatolian history museum. Ulus also has the best Fasil place in Ankara (allegedly). It was so much fun!

We took a taxi from Tunali (cost about 10 lira) and arrived at the Fasil place. It was dark inside and lit by candles. We sat at our table which was laden with mouth watering mezes: ezme (a spicy tomato paste), Turkish tzatziki (I'm actually not sure about the Turkish name), a delicious eggplant dish (yes, I put eggplant and delicious in one sentence), pickles, a potato salad and a normal green salad. We were served our choice of alcohol: wine, vodka, beer or Raki (a Turkish drink which tastes of aniseed - similar to the Greek "Ouzo") and we proceded to eat and drink while watching the Fasil performers - a group of people playing Turkish instruments with a woman singing traditional Turkish songs. Although a continuous supply of mezes would have sufficed for the evening, we were of course served with a main course. The main course was disappointing: a slice of chicken, some rice and some veggies. I can't remember what chicken in like back home in Canada but I find chicken in Turkey to be really dry and flavourless and completely unappealing. I gave my chicken to Yadi and continued enjoying the mezes. Dessert was a plate of fruits. Once dinner was finished, the Turkish women in the restaurant began to get up and dance... and with some encouragement and some help by the unlimited alcohol supplied, so did we! It was fun. Once the Fasil performers finished there was a DJ for about 45 minutes followed by another performer, this time a Turkish man singing popular tunes. It was fun to watch Yadi sing and dance and a really interesting cultural experience! I can't wait to go back and do it again! Food, dance and unlimited drink for 50 TL a person is actually not a bad deal!!

Photo: Alex and Yadi (I promise you he is not a serial killer, even though he looks that way)