Jinks and Gin

This is a tough one. Jinksy came home from the vet yesterday with the diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma.

So, let me share a few Jinksy stories with you so you can get to know this stubborn little boy.

Jinks is a complete chow hound. He will eat anything... except parsley. I've seen him eat wasabi and a whole jalapeno without so much as a cough- he did sneeze with the wasabi.

When he was 9 months old I'd moved into a new house and was sleeping on the floor on a fouton. The first morning I awoke with a plastic food bowl on my head. Jinks isn't shy about telling you exactly what he wants. The next day I bought a ceramic food bowl. Now he just points to where I keep the food bowl.

When I first got him (aged 4 months) he was afraid of wheels. That isn't quite accurate - he hated wheels. Anything flat round and in motion should be barked at. Hackles raised, teeth bared- all pinwheels , bicycle wheels, and car wheels should be defended against with serious and deadly intent. That was until the microwave. I was in the new house sitting on a bench one of the two pieces of furniture in the house. I was watching the microwave, the only cooking appliance, on the table, the second piece of furniture, as the carousel spun with a frozen burrito at the center. Jinks was sitting next to me. The minute the light went on in the microwave and he saw the carousel spinning he went ballistic. His lips pulled back, his fur standing straight up, growling ascending to all out frantic barking until..... "ding". The wheel stopped, I opened the door, and the aroma of warm burrito filled the room. He looked at the microwave, he looked at the burrito, he looked at me, he sat down and never barked at a wheel again.

Two years ago when mom's Puli Chiffon died (aged 16) I went looking for a companion for Jinksy. I figured being jealous was better than being depressed. We found Gin at the Colorado Corgi Club she's a rescue from a puppy mill aged about 7 years when we got her. Right now she's in the doggie bed at my feet and Jinksy is curled up behind the chair they're just barely touching each other but they know they're not alone.



The puli boys don't quite understand what's happening, but Ginny and I do and we're both pretty sad right now but we're trying to keep things calm and comfortable. Actually Ginny is doing pretty well at being a "seeing eye corgi" I don't know that you can call it that but she barks and Jinksy follows.