Chapter 1 D2: My name is Shaq
This is the first chapter of a book that may be written. Greg Chooses Me:
I was 7 weeks old when a stranger visited.
Mom brought my brothers, sisters and I all out to the living room. There was someone there that I had never seen before. He got down on his hands and knees and called us over to him. My brothers and sisters were a bit hesitant, and huddled around Mom, not knowing what to do. I ran over to this stranger and licked his face and ran between his legs and rolled over on my back for a belly rub. When I did this my brothers and sisters saw that he was nice and they all ran over to see him.
The stranger was nice to all of us, but he kept an eye on me. After a few minutes he picked me up and went over to talk to my Mom’s people. I didn’t understand everything they said, but I think he was very impressed with me. He said his name was Greg and he hugged me and I gave him a big kiss. Next thing I knew I had a toenail painted green, I wanted to lick it, but Greg said that I had to leave it on so that he could find me again. I didn’t understand what that meant.
When Greg put me down, all my brothers and sisters came over to see me. They sniffed me and looked at my painted toenail. I looked at the others and none of them had painted toenails. I felt very special. After a few minutes Greg left, but before he did he came over and petted me one last time and said he would be back in a few days to see me again.
I asked Mom why I had my toenail painted. She said it was so that the stranger could identify me in a few days. I asked why he would want to identify me. She said that it was because I was going to get a new home. I didn’t understand what that meant either.
Over the next week other people came to see us in the living room. I went up and said hello to all of them, most of them picked me up and petted me but when they saw that my toenail was painted they were a bit disappointed and put me down. One by one all of my brothers and sisters got a toenail painted in a different color..
Greg picks me up:
Then one day Greg came back. I was playing in the yard at the time when he drove up in a big Red Truck. When he got out I was so excited to see him again that I ran right over. He had another dog with him. He called him Geronimo. Geronimo is a much larger Black Lab, who came over and sniffed me. I rolled over on my back and let him lick my belly. He was very nice. I learned later that Geronimo is my Dad.
My mom’s people came out and greeted Greg. After a few minutes he told Geronimo to get back in the truck. Geronimo jumped up into the front seat with no effort at all. I thought that there would be no way I could do that. But Greg picked me up and helped me onto the front seat. I was so excited that I ran up and down the front seat. Geronimo asked me if this was my first car ride, I told him it was. He said to look out the window. The window was high up and I could barely get my head up to see out. When Greg got in he called me over and put me in his lap so I could see out his window.
As we drove off my Mom ran next to the truck and told me to be a good boy and to listen to my people that they would be taking care of me now. I didn’t realize that I would not see her again. As we drove away I looked at Geronimo and saw that he had his head out the window and that his ears were flapping in the wind. He looked so happy and sort of funny. Greg let me stand in his lap and stick my head out his window as he drove. I really liked having the wind blow my ears around.
We drove for what seemed like a long time, until we came to a big house with a huge yard that was full of trees, and grass and lots of animals I had never seen before. When the truck stopped Geronimo jumped out and then Greg helped me out and put me down. I was so excited I ran all over the place as fast as I could. Geronimo stayed right with me; eventually I stopped and rolled in the grass. Geronimo just lay down and looked at me. I asked him where we were. He said that this was his home; I asked if I was going to live here too. But he didn’t think so; he thought that Greg had picked me out for his friend Ray.
I asked who Ray was. Geronimo said that Ray was a friend of Greg’s and that he had lived here a couple years earlier. I asked where Ray lived now, and Geronimo said he was not sure but he thought it was a long way away. Geronimo said that Ray was very nice and gave great belly rubs. I really like belly rubs so I felt better.
Farty takes me for a walk:
After a while a Yellow Labrador named Farty came out. Farty is not her real name, but that’s what everyone calls her. She is Geronimo’s Girlfriend and is very nice. She told Geronimo to get lost and that she would be taking over from here. I wanted to go with Geronimo, but she told me to stay with her. I asked what we were going to do; she said we were going to go for a walk. So off we went on a walk around the grounds. She introduced me to all the animals. There were ducks and geese that I tried to chase but they just ran way. Farty said not to chase the Geese, as they were very mean. They didn’t look mean so I chased one, and after a few steps it turned around and tried to bite me. I ran away as fast as I could. Farty just laughed at me and said, “I told you so”. After that I did what she said. We went and saw these huge animals that she called horses. She said that we could walk around them, but not to run around them as they might get scared and step on me. Finally, we came across an animal that Farty called a Cat. Her name was Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty is the ranch cat and didn’t want much to do with me. I asked Farty why she had run away when I came over to say hello. She said that Miss Kitty was like that with all dogs and not to take it personal.
After some time Greg came out and called for Geronimo and Farty. They ran over to him and I followed as fast as I could. When I got up to where Greg was he had the door to the house open. Geronimo and Farty ran in. I stopped and climbed up the stairs. When I got inside I was in a huge room with lots of neat things all over the place. Greg had three bowls out with food in them. Geronimo and Farty ran over to their bowls and started eating. Greg brought me over to my bowl and put me down. I was very hungry and started to eat right away. Geronimo and Farty finished their food first and came over to check on me. I was eating as fast as I could. Geronimo said not to eat so fast as I would get a bellyache. He also said don’t worry about not finishing, just eat what I wanted and that the rest would be there to finish later. I was very relieved and after I had my fill I went over to the water dish and drank.
After dinner Greg came over and picked me up and held me in his lap. I squirmed around a bit, but eventually I settled down and went to sleep. Later he got up and made a phone call. I had seen my Mom’s people use the phone before. Greg was talking to someone he called “Cajun Carpenter” I asked Geronimo who that was. He said that was what Greg called Ray. I asked why he called him that, Geronimo said it was because Ray had helped with some of the house building a few years back.
I get my name:
Greg came and picked me up and put the phone to my ear. I heard a voice on the other end say hello and ask how I was. Then he said that he would name me ShaqAsorus but would call me Shaq because Greg said that I was going to be as big as my Dad. Ray said he would be up to take me home in a couple of weeks and that I should learn as much as I can from Geronimo and Farty. When Greg put me down I ran over to Geronimo and Farty and told them that my name was Shaq. I asked Geronimo what type of name that was. He said he was not sure, but he had heard it on the TV several times, so I must be named after someone famous.
I asked Geronimo who he was named after. He said he was named after a famous Indian who was very brave and a great leader. I asked Farty who she was named after, she said that her real name was Carhartt, but her nickname was Farty. I asked what a nickname was, and she said that it was just another name that people used. I wondered if I would also have a nickname.
That night I got to sleep in a bed for the first time. I really liked that. I snuggled up right next to Greg and went to sleep with my head on his chest. Geronimo and Farty joined us in the bed as well. Sometime in the night I curled up between them. Every now and then Farty would lick me. I felt so safe around them that I forgot all about being nervous and my new surroundings.
Learning from Geronimo and Farty
The next morning Greg got us up. Geronimo and Farty ran down the stairs, he picked me up and carried me down. I could have made it by myself but it would have taken a long time. He put me down in the kitchen and gave me a little food. I could not believe how hungry I was after sleeping all night. After breakfast Greg asked if we wanted to go on a “nature walk” Geronimo was very excited about this. So out we went for another walk. This time we were on a trail, while walking I heard what sounded like a low roar. I asked Geronimo what that was; he said it was a stream. I had never heard of a stream and asked what it was. He said you’ll see. As we walked along the sound got louder. Then all of a sudden I saw it. It was the largest water bowl I had ever seen and it was moving. I ran over to the edge, but Farty came and intercepted me and said to be careful. She said I had to be careful around streams and rivers until I was bigger. Geronimo told her to quit being a worrywart. He went splashing right into the stream. I followed him, but when I got to the edge I stopped and looked around, the water was moving very fast. I put a paw in and tentatively took a step. Once I had all four paws in the water I started to take a few slow steps forward, then all of a sudden my paws were not touching the bottom.
I started to panic and was franticly kicking my paws every which way. Farty came running into the river and started to grab me, but Geronimo told her to leave me alone. After a couple of seconds I started to swim. I didn’t know at the time that it was called swimming, but none the less I was swimming. This was fun. I got to the edge and climbed out and shook the water off of me. Then I went back in and swam some more. The whole time Greg was standing on the streambank looking very happy. He called me a “Water Otter” I took that as a complement. After a few minutes he called us to follow him so we did and we continued our walk on the trail. We walked through meadows and a forest area. Geronimo and Farty would run ahead and then come running back. I followed them everywhere It was a lot of fun. To this day I enjoy going on nature walks. At long last we returned to the house. I was exhausted and found a nice sunny spot in the yard to lay down and sleep.
Over the next couple of weeks I did what Ray said and learned as much as I could from Geronimo and Farty. They took me for long walks every day. They also showed me how to jump up on chairs. Well they jumped up, I had to crawl up at first, but after a couple of days I was able to jump up as well. Farty taught me how to keep out of the way of cars when they drive up. Geronimo taught me how to run between people’s legs. He said when I got bigger it would be a whole lot of fun. Farty was always teaching me things she said would be important, Geronimo was always teaching me things that were fun.
One day I saw Miss Kitty in the field. She was crouched real low and moving very slow, sort of crawling in the field. I watched her for a little while then came running over to ask what she was doing. When I did I saw a bird come flying out of the grass. Miss Kitty was very upset. She said she had been stalking that bird for a long time and that now I had ruined it. I asked her why she was stalking the bird, she said it was what her job was along with catching mice. I told her I was sorry, but she was still very put off.
Another day, I saw Geronimo out in the field digging. I ran over to ask what he was doing. He said he was chasing something called a Gopher. I asked what a Gopher was, he said it was a little animal that hid in the ground and that one of his jobs was to try to catch them. I asked if I could watch him, he said I could if I stayed out of the way. He was working really hard and was making a huge hole. After a while he came out and had a nose full of dirt. He looked very funny. Greg came over to check out what he was doing. He petted Geronimo and told him how good he was and then called us over to the yard to help him there.
RAY Comes to get me
One day Greg came home and picked me up and put me in the truck. Geronimo started to jump in, but Greg asked him to stay. He looked a bit put off. Geronimo likes to go everywhere with Greg.
By now I was 10 weeks old and big enough to get my head out the window without having to stand on Greg’s lap. So as we drove off I had my head out the window with the wind in my face and my ears flapping in the breeze. Greg drove really fast. He said we were late. I wondered what we were late to.
Next thing I knew we were pulling up to something that Greg called an Airport. As we were parking I saw the largest bird I had ever seen come flying over head. I was so stunned I just stared. No way was I going to chase that Bird. Not only was it large but it made a very noisy sound.
Greg parked the truck and picked me up. I squirmed a bit, as I wanted to walk. Greg said he needed to carry me so that we don’t get in trouble. So I settled down and let him carry me. We went inside this big building and went over to a window. I saw the large bird land and come over to the building we were in. Next thing I knew there were people getting out of the bird. I had never seen a bird that let people out of it before. Greg said it was an Airplane.
After some time I saw someone coming over to where Greg was standing. He was very excited to see us. Greg handed me right over to him and said hi Ray. So this was Ray, I was so happy to see him that I licked his face. He held me in his arms and rubbed my belly. Geronimo was right he did give great belly rubs. After a few minutes we left.
The whole way back to Greg’s house Ray held me in his lap and rubbed my ears and scratched my back and rubbed my belly. I knew right then that we were going to be the best of friends.
When we got home Geronimo and Farty were there to meet us. Geronimo was very excited to see Ray and ran right between his legs. Ray put me down and greeted Geronimo and Farty. He was very happy to see both of them and gave them each a big hug. After a while we went inside.
It was getting late and I was really tired. Greg said he was going to bed, I started to follow him and Geronimo but he said to stay with Ray. So I ran over to where Ray was sitting. He picked me up and asked if I was ready for bed. That night he slept with me cuddled right next to him. I felt so safe.
In the morning we got up and went outside. I wanted to show him everything I had learned, so I ran all over the yard as fast as I could. I showed him how I could jump and how I could change direction real fast. We went down to the stream and I showed him how I could swim. He was very impressed. After a few minutes we went back inside and had breakfast. Later that morning he said we were going to go help Greg on a job.
I go camping:
I asked Geronimo what Greg did for a job. He said that he had the best job in the entire world. He built trails up in the mountains. I asked what made that such a great job. Geronimo said it was because Greg got to work outside and took him along when he went out to work.
I wondered what Ray did for a job. Geronimo said he didn’t know.
Ray and Greg spent most of the morning packing things. I went over to see if I could help out, but Ray said to go and play with Geronimo and Farty. So I did that. Eventually, Greg and Ray called us over to the truck and loaded us up. Farty had to stay home; she said she needed to protect the house.
We drove for a very long time. Much longer than I had ever driven before. We stopped a couple of time so that Geronimo and I could get out and stretch our legs. Geronimo said not to go too far from the truck unless Ray or Greg was with me. I stayed right next to Ray.
We drove on a very winding road until we got to a place where we turned onto a very bumpy road. Ray held me in his lap to keep me from bouncing around. I looked out the window. At long last we stopped and got out of the truck. Geronimo said we were at a place called a trailhead. I asked if this was where Greg worked, Geronimo said we needed to walk a long way up the trail until we got the place where Greg would be working.
Greg and Ray took all our things out of the truck. They both put backpacks on and walked around making adjustments. Greg then called Geronimo over and put a backpack on him. Geronimo stood still when the backpack was put on. He then walked around like Ray and Greg had done and came over to Greg again to have it adjusted. I went over and asked Geronimo what he was doing, he said that his job was to carry our food. I asked if I would be getting a backpack too. He said I was to little, but when I was bigger I would get my own backpack.
Ray told me to stay close to him and to stay on the trail. I was so excited to be on the trail that I ran up the trail real fast and then came running back. Geronimo said to slow down as we were going to be walking a long time. I started to settle down and walk at a comfortable pace. Every now and then we would cross a stream. When we did Geronimo said to stop and drink some water. He said it was important to drink a lot of water when out hiking.
I was starting to get very tired and found myself slowing down. Eventually, we all stopped and took a rest. I was very relieved, as my paws were sore. When it was time to go I got up but was too tired to walk very far. Ray took his backpack off and came over and picked me up. I licked his face and told him I was very tired. Ray said he understood and asked if I would like to be carried for a while. I wagged my tail and he put me in his backpack. I had my head sticking out the top and rested it on Ray’s shoulder.
Ray and I walked like this for a long time. I watched the world go by, and really enjoyed it. Geronimo came over and said I better enjoy it while I can because soon I would be too big to be carried. After some time I curled up inside the backpack and went to sleep. I was jolted awake when Ray stopped and took the backpack off. I awoke instantly and scampered out of the pack.
When I got my bearings I saw that we were in a meadow and there were a bunch of little houses setup. Geronimo said that they were called tents and that they were where we were going to stay for the next few days. I ran over and checked them out.
As Greg and Ray started unpacking, Geronimo and I went out exploring. He showed me where the stream was to get water, and where the best berries were for a quick snack. When we got back, Ray had a fire going. Greg was going to go up and look at the job site Geronimo went with him. I stayed with Ray. I was still very tired and laid down next to the fire and went to sleep. I must have been more tired than I thought as when I woke up it was dark and I was in a tent with Ray, Greg, and Geronimo. I don’t remember ever going into the tent, Geronimo later told me that Ray had picked me up and carried me.
The next morning we all woke up about the same time. Geronimo and I went out for a run in the woods while Greg made breakfast. I had slept right through dinner so I was very hungry. After breakfast Greg and Geronimo went up to the job site and Ray and I stayed at the camp and cleaned up. I really enjoy helping clean dishes. My job is to do the pre cleaning before Ray washes them.
After that was done we got ready to go up and work with Greg. I started walking up the trail when Ray called me. I ran over to where he was, he said we would be taking the 4 Wheelie up. I was not sure what he meant, but he jumped on this thing and started it up. It was very loud; I was a little scared of it. Ray came over and picked me up and sat me right in front of him. Off we went. I started to like it a lot. I was getting the best of all worlds my ears were flapping in the wind and I was right by Ray. We drove for about 10 minutes and finally stopped.
Up the road I could see Greg and Geronimo working on the trail. They were building a trail that zig zagged straight up a rock wall. I ran up to see what they were doing. Greg stopped and petted me. He and Ray talked about what they were going to do. Geronimo came over and told me that it was important that we stay out of the way. So we went out and explored the countryside. When we got back we laid down by the 4 wheelies and slept.
After a while Ray came back and said he was through for the day. So we fired up the 4 wheelie and started heading back to camp. I was perched right up front again. As we went along the trail Ray saw something that he called snow up on the hillside. We stopped the 4 wheelie and got off to investigate. I had not heard of snow before. I ran up to it and sniffed it, then put a paw on it. It was cold. Ray hiked around the edge of the snowfield. I followed him, when we got to the top he jumped on it and slid down. He was hollering and having a great time. I figured that if he was having so much fun I should try it. I stepped onto the snowfield and all of a sudden my paws went out form under me. I was on my belly sliding down the snowfield. I tried putting my paws out to slow down, but I just went faster and faster. All of a sudden the snowfield ended and I was tumbling head over paws down the mountain. I finally stopped and got up. I was a little wobbly. Ray came running over and picked me up asking if I was ok. I licked his face. He looked me over and saw that nothing was hurt, except I had a very cold and pink belly. He rubbed it until it warmed up. Even though the snowfield was a bit scary I enjoyed it. We went back up and slid down it a couple more times. This time I stayed on my paws and had a blast.
We spent about 4 or 5 days up at the job site. It was a lot of fun. When it was time to leave I was a little sad to go. We made it back to the truck and drove back to Greg’s house. Geronimo and I slept the whole way. We didn’t even get out when we stopped for a break.
Riding a Plane:
When we got back Ray said that we would be going home tomorrow. I wondered where home was. He said we were going to a place called Austin, Texas. I had never heard of it before.
The next morning I woke up late. Ray was up and packing all our things. Eventually, Greg loaded us up in the truck and off we went to the Airport. Ray went up to the counter and checked us in. He then came back and told me that I was going to have to ride in a special place as I was too big to ride with him. He put me in a kennel; I was a bit scared at first. But then he took his shirt off and put it in with me. I felt a bit better having something that smelled like Ray with me. Then someone came and picked me up and took me away. I was not happy and barked a few times. Ray came over and told me to be brave and that I would see him in an hour in Salt Lake City. The guy who took me away was very nice. He petted me and told me it was ok to be a bit scared. I felt better. Everyone came over to see me. They were all very excited and very nice.
Next they put me in with other dogs that were traveling on the same airplane. I felt better being around them. There was another Labrador that they set me next to. She was very nice and said the best thing to do is just lay down and take a nap. After a few minutes I felt the plane start to move, I got a little scared and barked a couple of times. The other Lab said not to worry that this was normal. She said that we would go very fast then we would take off. I was still a bit nervous. But once we were in the air it was a great ride. After an hour we started to go down, and a little while after that I felt a bump and the Airplane started to slow down. As soon as we stopped someone opened the door and took me out. I was very happy to see people again and wagged my tail. They quickly took me to a place where Ray was waiting for me.
Ray said we had a three-hour lay over. He took me out of the kennel and we went for a walk around the terminal. A lot of people came over to see me. I liked all the attention. The time went very quickly and soon Ray said we had to go. I went right back into the kennel and curled up for a nice long nap. Ray said this part of the trip would be a lot longer and that the next stop would be Austin.
When the people came to get me I wasn’t scared at all. I was an old hat at flying. They took me over to the plane and put me in. This time there were no other dogs there to keep me company. I just curled up and went to sleep. After a very long time we landed in Austin.
Once again Ray was right there to get me as soon as I was out of the plane. I was very happy to see him. He picked me up and gave me a big hug. While the rest of our baggage was catching up with us we went for a walk. Austin was very hot and I got tired quickly. When the baggage started to come out Ray grabbed a backpack and off we went.
Ray didn’t have a truck like Greg, but a car. It was nice though, and the windows were low enough that I could stick my head out and feel the air running on my face. We drove for a short time and when we stopped Ray said that this was our new home. He hoped I would be happy here. I thought I would be happy anywhere Ray was.
