My Boy Baxter

He loved the snow. My boy Baxter truly loved the snow. Somehow he could sense when it was snowing and all he wanted was to get out of the house and into it! He would sit on the wooden swing we had in the backyard and let it cover him while it was falling. Then he never wanted to come in when I thought he'd had enough time out in the cold. But this memory I am sharing is not only about me and Baxter. It includes my kid as well. It's a three-way memory that I was lucky enough to capture forever in a picture.

A close tie with snow (and food, of course) was her - Allison. He adored her beyond words. Since she was two and entered his life, she was his number one person. Was I jealous? Absolutely! Still, the undeniable bond between your child and her dog made my heart burst with joy.

What follows next happened, without a doubt, every winter since they met and it only stopped when she was a teenager. Seriously. "What happened" you ask? Well, I fondly named it 'The Takedown' because that is essentially what it was. The excitement of the snow and playing with 'his person' was simply too much for him to handle... safely. You could almost see it in his eyes - the happiness of having his two favorite things in the whole wide world by his side at the same time! The joy simply overtook him. And so, without fail, his 100+ pounds of fluffy golden retriever would jump up on her waaaay less than 100 pounds of human kid and he'd take. her. down. The tackle always ended in tears...always. I don't want to call my kid a crybaby, but to be honest, she was definitely a crybaby, without a doubt. She cried about anything and everything and that didn't stop when she was a teenager. I don't even want to mention the sobs that erupted when a Sarah McLachlan song/advertisement about animal cruelty came on the tv. Dear Lord, she'd recognize the first few notes and run from the room, hysterical crying.

Anyway, the usual procedure would go something like this: the two would be out for a time running and building snow men (or women) or a fort of some kind. She would throw snowballs for him to catch or retrieve, both of them loving being in their element playing together. Sometimes he would chase her when she sledded down the small incline in the yard, tail wagging a thousand miles a minute. And sometimes he just observed from a distance- her protector ever watching over her. It was an absolute joy to see these two buddies having so much fun together. Then out of the blue he would strike. Without any sort of malice of course, just a brute who didn't know his own strength, he would tackle her (roughly) and she'd fall down. Hence 'The Takedown'. There was never a 'Takedown' that didn't end in tears, or herself running for me or the house, tears freezing onto her cheeks. And when she ran, so did he and he'd inadvertently tackle her again. She would tell me, in between sobs, how Baxter "was a bad boy and that he jumped her on purpose" (always on purpose - eye roll), etc. etc. And I, of course, would do my best not to break out laughing at her serious face and lingering blubbering. And just like the yearly 'Takedown' came my yearly words "Bax - I know you didn't mean to hurt her. How about you give her a big ole kiss and tell her you're sorry?" So he did. He would walk up to her calmly and lick her face until she was laughing again and pushed him away. This particular picture captured the post kiss moment when, having already been knocked to the ground, she decided that a snow angel was the next order of business. And just like always, he stood guard to protect his person.

Baxter is unfortunately no longer with me...for many years now. But the memories of our lives together will live on forever.

The daughter is no longer with me now either, having recently enlisted in the Marine Corp (oorah). And I am happy to report that she no longer cries all the time.