I named this jumbo Bow Tie o’ the Day Luau Labrador. It reminds me of the dog o’ my life, my yellow lab, Araby. She’s been in the bigly dog park in the sky for almost nine years now. From the moment she became mine, she and I were in sync in a way that cannot be duplicated with any other mutt. Some days, I swear, Araby acted more like me than I did myself. She would have completely enjoyed dressing up in a grass skirt an coconut shells like the Luau Labrador and showing off to the neighborhood. Araby was up for any adventure, especially if it involved a bright yellow tennis ball or riding in the back of my truck.
You should know that the late Araby once flew right before my blue eyes. I kid you not. When she was still a puppy, I had Araby and Dad’s old dog, Bert, in the back of my truck, as I was driving to Oak City to drop off a quilt for binding. A light drizzle came down from the clouds, and as I slowed a bit on the last curve before arriving in Oak City, Araby must have slipped and lost her balance on the wet truck bed. In my rear view mirror, I saw Araby fly to the side of the road and pick herself right back up. Bert— who was still in the truck— was looking at me, as if saying, “I told Araby not to do that, but she wouldn’t listen! You know how stoopid puppies are!” I immediately put the truck in reverse and backed up to where Araby was dutifully waiting for me—but on only three good legs. One of her hind legs had been broken when she landed. I lifted her into the truck bed by Bert, and off to the vet I drove, hoping she didn’t like flying enough to try it again on our return trip. The quilt was still on the front seat and I cursed its existence all the way back to Delta.
In the end, it required a 7-inch metal rod to fix Araby’s leg. The vet bill was almost $800. After weeks of Araby healing, the rod was removed and I asked to keep it. Her leg healed perfectly and served her well for the rest of her life. I framed the vetbill and the rod in a shadowbox and hung it just inside my front door for visitors to see. I told anyone who asked about it that it was the most expensive piece of art I owned at the time, so I wanted it on display.
And nope, Araby never flew again. Once was more than enough for all of us.