Walking on Water and other Savage feats.

We got Sandy when my wife and I were just married. Like everything at the time, we went about things the wrong way. She was an impromptu purchase from a sketchy pet store. She was scared, and shy and I’m sure she was dropped over and over again by the school kids who visited the pet store on their lunch breaks.

I recall telling my wife that “I wasn’t leaving the pet store without this dog.” When we brought her home, we were worried. She was listless and weak. We nursed her back to health with love and bacon. We bought countless books on Labrador Retrievers and puppy training and each one of them told us we had done everything wrong. We bought the the sickest, most withdrawn dog from a questionable store on an impulse.

In no time at all, the scrawny dog grew. Before we knew it, my wife and I weren’t a couple anymore, we were a family. 

The World continued to spin, as it does when you don’t pay much attention. We grew a little older and our family got a little bigger. Soon the Savages (as we were affectionally called by those who knew us) were storming through life. First steps were soon followed by walking on water- the learning curve is pretty steep in our family. 

Walking on water, a Savage tradition.

Sandy was always there. She was certainly there more than I was. As my kids were learning to walk and talk, I was learning how to fly. It was hard for all of us, especially for my wife as she gave up her dream so I could pursue mine. I’m not entirely sure how we struggled through it together but we did. I didn’t notice it much at the time, but the World continued to spin, and we all got a little older.

We moved to a beautiful home on a quiet street with a big back yard close to the ocean. My wife started teaching music again, the kids grew, Sandy walked the beach and I had my dream job. No one noticed much, but the World continued to spin.

I was away chasing bad guys when I heard the news. 

We struggled with Sandy’s loss as we have done with challenges before, as a family. As we mourned, the World continued to spin.

We got Ben from a great breeder in Annapolis Royal. His parents were Rhodes Scholars and beauty pageant winners. He is confident, well mannered and speaks four languages. 

World is still spinning, and the Savages can feel it now.