Tinker Tales - Sharing Tinker The Chow Chows Life
Chapter 4

Michelle and I had been together about a year before we were blessed with Tinker. I fell for her from the start! In addition to being gorgeous, she had a good heart, a solid character and high moral values. I’m a lucky man. I never forget that.

It’s funny how I didn’t really have a clue about what an angel she was until a chow named Tinker came into our lives. Michelle’s care for him made me a much better father too. Let me try to explain. Throughout Tinker’s life, Shell made sure he never wanted for anything. I’m not just talking about taking good care of a dog but treating Tinker like chows were treated back in the days of the Ming Dynasty.

Shell made it easy to have Tinker with us at all times, she had each of our cars set up with no-spill water bowls, special blankets, extra leashes and his favorite treats. Our home had water and food dishes in our bedroom, our TV room, kitchen and out in the backyard. Water was changed several times a day and he only ate his meals off of clean plates. His daily medication was offered to him inside imported havarti cheese. Yes, for a chow, it has to be imported!

Uh, if you don’t have a chow you need to quit reading now. You are not going to understand the rest of this. You’re going to think we were off our rockers.

Michelle and I had found that Tinker went crazy for a dog treat called Lamb Lungs. Sounds yucky doesn’t it. But he absolutely loved them. Of course they could only be purchased on the other side of town which was no problem because it made Tinker happy,….. so go start the truck. Both of our offices at work were set up to cater to him too. We even had fellow employees and outside suppliers that would come to visit and bring him treats each day. He became a fixture at our jobs and in our personal lives. Our friends and family knew that if there was an event or special occasion planned, they had better expect Tinker to be part of it too.

I explained earlier that I learned from Shell, to be a better father. I remember one sentence she said to me so vividly. It was when we were planning a houseboat trip where dogs were not allowed. I had just figured that we’d leave Tinker with my Mom and Dad (who treated him as a grandchild) for the few days we’d be gone. Shell told me this…..”what do you mean we’re not taking Tinker? He NEEDS a vacation too!”. It was at that point I really saw how he was such a huge part of our lives and I felt truly bad for thinking about excluding him. I’ll never forget that.

I kind of got off track about explaining the true beauty I witnessed about my wife. As Tinker got older, his health went downhill. At 9 years old he was diagnosed with what our vet called the worst hip dysphasia he had seen since vet school. At 13 years old Tinker’s rear legs gave out almost completely. The vet thought it was a neurological disorder. His brain just wasn’t sending the right signals to his back legs. Dr. Rick (best vet in the world) talked with us about how this would get worse and what we could do. I asked him, point blank….what would you do if Tinker was yours? Dr. Rick knew us and Tinker well. He said that in our special circumstance, where we have Tinker with us 24 / 7, that we could make up for Tinker’s shortcomings and continue to give him a high quality of life. To other owners, he would recommend putting him to sleep since he would not be able to get up or move around on his own at all. Tinker wasn’t in any pain, he just couldn’t get up on his own, once up with our help, he could kind of walk pretty good with the aid of a “Bottoms-Up Leash”, where we actually held his hips up and allow him to propel himself forward with his hind legs.

For more than 2 years, all Tinker had to do was push himself up with his front legs, this would make his collar jingle and one of us would be right there to help him get water, go get something to eat or just move around. Michelle took Tinker on a bare minimum of 4 walks a day. That also allowed her and I to spend some real quality time together. Her patience with him was incredible. If he wanted to sniff something or go see something or just stop and take a break, she would wait for him. Her care for him, her patience, her selflessness, her loving voice to keep his spirits high and make his tail wag. All were what I’d expect of one of God’s own angels. Her efforts insured that none of Tinker’s muscles ever had any atrophy. He never got stiff with arthritis, he was never in any pain. She taught me, by her example, how to show absolute unconditional love.

At around 14 plus years old we took Tinker to the vet for a one hundred thousand mile tune up. Dr. Rick literally had tears come to his eyes when he saw what great shape Tinker was in. Tinker was such a little trooper. He NEVER let anything slow him down. God, he and Michelle taught me so much! Even when he came down with an inoperable stomach tumor, we still went for walks in Santa Cruz and Monterey, he went to Yosemite and the Bodie Ghost Town, Christmas in the Park and to Candlestick park for 49er games, boat trips to the Delta, camping in the coastal mountain ranges and for rides on the train at Roaring Camp. He never missed a beat and Michelle and I were right there for him 24 / 7. The most special times were just common nights, when we’d all be home together. We’d sit around the TV and massage his legs and back, we’d scratch his tummy, brush his hair and Michelle would sing stupid little songs to him that would make his face light up and his tail wag. He had given and done so much to improve the quality of our lives, we owed him big time. Through it all, I saw Michelle in such a new light. I respect her more than any other human I know. She’s really my hero!