A Singing Malamute Called Luna

She sings in the morning, she sings in the evening. She sings to go outside, she sings to come back in. She sings when it is time to eat, precisely at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.—I can set my watch to her serenades.

She sings at the vet clinic, arriving in the reception area and immediately bellowing out her wish to get out of there. Simultaneously, all three-exam room doors open, and the staff peer out to see where the noise is coming from.

She sings at the groomer, very loud when the dryer is blowing her massive coat. She was scheduled to be there for 3-4 hours. I wasn’t surprised to get a call after only 45 minutes—the groomer was frantically brushing her hair, so she could leave. She was causing chaos and all the dogs were howling. The staff could not hear themselves think, let alone answer the phone!

Luna sings to us every day, and it is music to our ears. We often sing back as she leads the choir for a morning howl. She sings for whatever she wants, we only have to be in tune with her to figure it out. She was close to being evicted from her hillside neighborhood in Anchorage, after the neighbors pooled together and purchased her a no-bark collar. She sang about that too, and of course it never worked. She grew up in the Sierras near Lake Tahoe. She hiked mountains and was a free girl to roam and sing as much as she wanted. Urban life is foreign to her, and she doesn’t understand why things have changed. She sings about that to anyone that will listen.

She is residing at TBTB Dog Camp for a time until the owners can figure out what to do. She can stay here forever, if necessary because well, she is now in fospices care. The dogs love the Queen Bee, and so do I. She arrived two months ago with a growing tumor in her anal area. A trip to the vet clinic was approved and scheduled. I was told by the staff to be on standby to pick her up immediately when they were finished with the tests, because her singing was causing chaos among the other patients. After X-Rays and an ultrasound it was determined, the tumor had invaded her abdomen, and without giving us much hope for removing it, a trip to a surgeon in Anchorage is scheduled next month. She will do that while I go on vacation for a few days.

For the time being Luna is pain-free. She is taking fish oil, Vitamin C and turmeric is sprinkled on her human food. She made it very clear when she arrived, that dog food was not an option for her palate. She has eggs and bacon for breakfast, a grain mixed with various meats, chicken or fish, plus something green, in her evening meal. If I sneak a small cup of kibble in her bowl, she will pick all the food around it, and leave the dog food. She’s not as discriminate about the treats, she actually loves Yummy Chummies most of the time, and can have as many as she wants because after all, she is the Queen Bee here, and all the dogs allow it.

Just yesterday, she chased the ball and ran with the other dogs, singing volumes about that experience. At 12, she is an inspiration and a joy. The TBTB dogs love her singing, and so do I. A singing dog is a good dog!

Sing on LaLuna, we Woof You!