Nanook Boofhead Clare
On February 2nd 1997 (when I was 19 years old) I fell in love with the most gorgeous puppy I had ever seen. I was finally getting the puppy I had wanted for over 10 years.
We went to the breeders to pick him up in Nar Nar Goon and got greeted by his mum who jumped in the car and sat next to me in the back seat (I think I had to change my underwear at this point). Alaskan Malamutes are HUUUUGE for the record.
When we got him home he pottered about taking in his new home. For the first few weeks, I was a good mummy I stayed with him as he slept in the laundry – I slept on a matress in the dining room. I did the midnight toilet runs, the early hour plays etc.
This boy made friends thick and fast. And he grew and grew and grew … and then some. By the time he finished growing he could stand on his back legs, put his front paws on my shoulders and look down at me! He topped near 60kg.
We would have many adventures, we’d go to Brimbank Park and walk around, he’d pounce on the ripples of water in the river. I took him to the beach only once – he was shit scared of the waves haha. I never got to take him to the snow I wish I did.
We would hang out and play in the backyard. He learned to play with the hose, he loved the water, and the cheeky bugger learned how to chase us with the hose and soak us all too!
He was the best goal keeper I have ever seen! We would play soccer and he would catch most of the balls I kicked his way! Then he discovered that he could catch the soccer balls, basket balls in his mouth and deflate them. And so it became an Xmas tradition that he would get a basket ball from Santa. He would open all his presents by himself, he knew what Xmas was! He would master the deflating on the balls in under 2 seconds!
We would have wrestlemania in the lounge – I don’t think I ever won, but by geez it was funny! We would hang out on my bed during thunderstorms protecting each other from the thunder and lightning.
He learned to take my blanket off me and drag it down the hallway, mum and dad used this to their advantage on the mornings I refused to get out of bed!
He was such a flirt with the ladies, he loved the ladies, the men however not so much.
He even saved me from getting beaten up one day from a bully I went to high school with.
One day he developed a lump on one of his front legs. It didn’t seem to be bothering him but it wasn’t going away. I had a dream one night that he died. When I woke up I was sobbing and beside myself. I took him to the vet to get looked at. They removed the lump drained it, it had blood in there, the vet said it looked like old blood so it was probably an old wound or something. They sent it off to get a biopsy just to be sure. The results came back that it was a tumor but they had successfully removed all of it.
In 2003, I had made the decision to move to Queensland. I had to make the heartbreaking choice of leaving him behind with my parents. I knew he would be happier with them so I took comfort in that and visits back to Melbourne were all that more fun because I got to see him.
In 2005 I got woken up by a phone from mum who was sobbing and beside herself. I could hear Nanook howling constantly in the background. She said that overnight he had developed a lump on his nose and had been howling in agony all night. She and dad took him to the vet first thing. He was diagnosed with cancer throughout his body and the lump on his nose was a tumor. They said we could have given Nanook chemo but there was no guarantee it would work because he was so far gone. I then had to make the devastating choice to put my baby and best friend to sleep forever and out of pain and suffering. And the worst part was I wasn’t there with him. I wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye and hold him as he took his last breath.
Mum told me that Nanook knew when they got back to vet that it was his time. He didn’t fight like he normally did, he was placid and calm. They put him on the bench and he rested his head on mum’s hand. She patted his head and gave him kisses and told how much we all loved him. They gave him the injection and soon he would close his eyes forever.
Thank you Nanook for picking me that day all those years ago, thank you for letting me share your life and for everything we got to do together. I keep you locked away in my heart where you are safe from harm and pain and suffering.
I miss you so much, I will love you forever and ever, my baby elephant, my boofhead, my Nanook xx
Niksterisms view of the world 