The Daily Corgi

Sit. Stay. Smile!

Tootsie of Minnesota

By

A picture worth a thousand words. Had it not been for this postcard, Karen and Steve M. would never would have met their Tootsie. The serendipity of it could have been published in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul.
 Stephen King and his Corgi
Karen writes: “I had read most of Stephen King’s work over the years but I had no idea he was a dog owner. I have touched the gates of his house while traveling through Maine, but that’s another story. The night I was working the closing shift at the local big box bookseller was the same night that Mr. and Mrs. Denney were spending their after theatre evening browsing the store. When the announcement went out over the PA to bring final purchases to the checkout, I was asked to hop on a register to help clear the lines quickly for closing time. 

As fate would have it, the Denneys came to my checkout and set down a stack of books with a postcard on top. I tend to be a “chatty kathy” when working the register, and when I saw the image I exclaimed “Oh! I didn’t realize Stephen King had a Corgi! Aren’t they just the cutest dogs? My husband and I have been looking online for Corgi rescue organizations. We can’t justify buying a “designer dog” when so many in shelters are in need of homes. We’re hoping to find a Corgi being given up because of a new baby or something.” 

The couple exchanged a strange look. Thinking I’d said something offensive, I thought to apologize when the gentleman asked “Are you serious about a Corgi?” Oh yes, I assured him. We would be happy with a dog that was older.”
“We’re looking to place a Corgi” he replied.
“You’re kidding right? Why would you give up a Corgi? Does she have medical issues?” That would have been fine, but I needed to know what I was committing to.
“She’s fine” he said, “fixed and good health, but our other two Corgis are male (already I am jealous — three Corgis?!) and she “stirs it up” with them so much they fight to be alpha male. It’s gotten bad enough we’ve had to go to the vet because they will draw blood when they bite. We’ve had to keep them separated and feel removing her from the situation is the best solution, but most people don’t want a full grown dog if they can have a puppy.”
“Mrs. Denney pulled a picture of the trio from her wallet (my kind of mom!) to show me. We enthusiastically exchanged information and a time to call for directions to their home for an interview. The store couldn’t close fast enough for me to get home to tell my husband I had found our dog! I was too excited to sleep most of the night, and when Mr. Denney called me the next morning to confirm that we were still interested in Tootsie, I asked how soon we could come to meet her.”

“I informed my husband that we were driving all this way for an interview. As good pet owners, they were entitled to see what kind of people would be taking a member of their family, and they had a right to say no. ‘Just play it straight and don’t try not to feel like they’re judging us’.”

Toot2

“All of the dogs were gorgeous and playful (I was even more jealous in person). Tootsie worked her charm won us over. Had we made an equally good impression? As we headed indoors to discuss her diet and other issues, I told Ruth that I hoped my comments hadn’t offended her, that Steve and I had discussed what we thought we could offer, and brought our check book to show our commitment to accepting this responsibility.”

“How she replied with a straight face I’ll never know. ‘How do you put a price on a piece of your heart?’ she asked. ‘Just promise to love her and take good care of her. If for any reason this doesn’t work out for you, please bring her back to us and we’ll sort it out another way’.”
“Within the hour we had a carrier, leash, food, toy and a new member or our family riding in the back seat. We’ve never looked back since.”

Toot4

“At that time we were newlyweds, just moving from apartment to owning a home with two feline family members who didn’t know what to make of our new arrival. They had mixed reviews on the matter, but in due time they all eventually got used to each other. At 18 months, Tootsie was no longer a puppy but was just as playful and full of energy. We quickly fell into a routine of daily walks — a mile around the neighborhood was the norm, frapping around the living room and willing submission for much floofy rubbing.”

“Tootsie’s “dark side” reared itself once when our backs were turned and something must’ve spooked her, because she went after one of the cats (on reactive instinct, I’m sure). All of this to tune of a $1,000 vet bill. We decided to keep her anyway.”

  Our ritual when we get a new bag of dog food, always a supervised activity.
 

“She is such a doofus. You should see her with her “beak” buried in a large yogurt carton to get to the last bit at the bottom. Cone of shame reversal. Yet another supervised activity so she doesn’t bump into things. The cats observe with disdain and no doubt think “its a dog thing,  cats would never act that stupid in front of the humans”.

“I’m the first to admit we spoil her rotten, but no doubt that’s common for people without “real kids”. Now that Tootsie’s 16, we don’t go for long walks or much frapping anymore but she seems content to nap near us in whatever room we occupy during the day and ever alert for crumb detail in the kitchen. Our first two cats have since passed away, and she gets along just fine with the newest felines. We now make daily “business trips” to the curb but not much further. Since I’m at work during the day, I asked my husband (in his temporary role of house husband/stay at home Dad) for details of how they spend the time together …

… “We snack, we nap, we scratch. I do chores and stuff while she watches. I brush her for a while, she gets anxious at first and then settles into it. The cats push us around and ramp over us. We wait by the kitchen door for Mom to come home. When’s Mom coming home? Is Mom home yet? Mom’s never coming home. Where’s Mom? Look, Tootsie! Mom’s Home! Go outside. Come in. We all eat dinner. We go outside again. Whew, it’s been a big day. The two of us might have to turn in early. Snacks, go outside and good night ritual petting/ bonding.”

Toot3

“This Summer her arthritic back hips and legs have gone from quivery to all out collapse on various occasions. She doesn’t appear to be in distress but we are watching carefully. She has begun taking supplements and low dose pain meds; we provide gentle brushing and occasional assistance in getting the back legs into proper standing position after long naps. My little old lady (or baby girl or Tootsie Noodle or Tootsie Lou-hoo to my husband) is no longer able to climb the stairs to sleep at the foot of our bed. No more awakening in the night to the sound of nails clicking against the bed rail as she chases bunnies in her sleep.  Now she has free reign of the downstairs, complete with fan.”

The ol’ “Summer snow angel” drop and roll
“We realize this may very well be our last Summer with her. Tootsie has been with us since the year we got married and it will seem odd not to have a dog in the house when the time comes. Eventually I will need to rescue another Corgi, as no other dog breed with fill that gap. I’m hoping after the first year to warm my hubby to idea of fostering, so I can still have my Corgi fix in real life in addition to The Daily Corgi. He would like a break from poop patrol and limited travel opportunity for a while, so I guess it’s only fair.”

About Laurie Eno

If a hunky Welsh Corgi on a windswept beach is your idea of a celebrity snapshot, welcome home! My name is Laurie Eno and I invite you to the tribe.

Comments

  2. Henley says

    What a great true love story about Tootsie to start the day! Seventeen — that give me hope for my two ten-year-olds. Henley

  3. SL says

    What a heart-warming story. I love how this worked out for you guys and the corgi!! Great pictures as well.

  5. Marie says

    Oh, this warmed my heart! I had a rescue sheltie mix for 15 years, and treasured those slow, quiet days at the end of her life. I got the sniffles reading your post this morning 🙂 I'm starting over with a Corgi puppy (The Mighty Thor!) after waiting 2 years for an adult Corgi rescue with no luck. You were truly blessed to find Tootsie. Thank you for sharing.

  7. Susan says

    This is a beautiful story. Tootsie is a true blessing to her family. May every day be a joy.

  8. Wrigley & Gingko's mom says

    Tootsie and you were obviously meant to be together. 16! That's wonderful! We have our two, soon to be three, in Rochester. Karen, if you don't already know, there is a "Corgi Minnesota" group on Facebook that you should check out. We're having a corgi meetup at Ruff House in a dude weeks. Even if Tootsie is maybe to stiff to come, you should come. It's always fun too see corgis "en masse" 🙂

  10. Marilyn says

    this is a beautiful story – thanks for sharing it..Tootsie looks like a really great dog…my 8 yr old Corgi Cody just took a look at her picture and wagged his little Corgi butt..:)

  11. Karen Quinn says

    Loved, Loved, LOVED this story! Of course, I say that with tears in my eyes. LOL.

    Our corgis have all lived to be ripe old ages (3 have crossed the rainbow bridge, and we have 3 now) and even when they had lost their hearing, or could no longer go up and down the stairs, or pottied randomly around the house, I loved them more each day.

    Hug Tootsie as much as you can; tell her you love her as often as possible, and thank you for adopting her and giving her an amazing LONG life!!

  12. Anonymous says

    Thanks for sharing such a wonderful love story. My husband and I got our corgi 3 months after we were married and our baby boy turned 7 this year. They are definite joys to have around the house and our lives would be so empty without them. Enjoy all the time you can with her!

  13. linda Allan says

    What a wonderful story and a long long one too. You are so lucky to have her to such a grand old age. I wish any of my dogs made it that far. (((hugs))) and enjoy her while you can to the fullest.

  14. Corgifarm says

    Indeed a love story and one that clearly isnt over , too soon to discuss the huge hole you will have in your heart … each loss in our house has had one of us inconsolable to the point where another heart patch corgi is installed. Mine is becoming a patchwork quilt due to an untimely cancer onset , but I wouldnt have it any other way

  16. Red says

    This is truly a Love Story. Tootsie was a Gift for you and having many years with her was beneficial for Tootsie and yourself. May your happy memories always keep you smiling as we do when we look at your beautiful Girl. Thank you for sharing your story. From the land down under.

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