apex

The week marked the end of an era for one magical sleddie from our community.

Ten years ago I first met Apex. July 23, 2014.
A group of us went to the foster kennels to take him and his newly-arrived kennel mates out for a walk.
Apex, Charlie, Colby, Dave, Felix, Mars and Punk.
In the sleddie* world, there was no guessing for how "ok" or "not ok" a dog would be once it arrived into care. Some were ok with human interaction, some not so much.
What we knew, was that every dog in this group was a survivor, having come from a situation that was not only lacking in every possible way, but was seemingly, deliberately cruel.

But we don't dwell on the past life.
We take the information on past lives, but focus on helping each dog integrate into a home life as best as possible. And walks are one of those things. Most dogs are ok with walkie time,  but I remember it being pretty tough with some of the dogs in this group. For Apex, he preferred to be at the back of the group. He didn't want anyone walking behind him, so if that happened, he got a bit sketched out. But he did the best he could that day. And for the next decade I knew this guy, he always seemed to be at the back or on the periphery of the group.

Apex was the dog that watched what was going on, especially in those early days. I remember him at one of our sleddie reunions - instead of exploring the fenced in acreage with all the other 40+ dogs, he stayed close to Deb, who had taken him home as a foster to help him learn about our wild and crazy human home lives. He was really bonded to her and seemed to trust her more than anyone else. But he was a foster, so in October 2014, he got adopted to a home up in Sechelt. But just days later, he got spooked and bolted after his new family had tripped and dropped his leash. 
He bolted up the stairs, across the highway and into the forest.
Poof.
Gone.

For 5 months, Deb took 2 ferries every weekend to go look for him, until the one weekend she was going to miss because her other dog was needing surgery, Apex appeared on a fish farm dock in the inlet. 
So off she went.

From October 2014 to March 2015 Apex survived on his own in the wilderness. There had been occasional sightings, but nothing could be confirmed.
After his vet visit the day he was found, it was determined he was little skinny and had some ticks, but he was otherwise ok. 
He was a survivor.

He ended up going back to live with Deb and that's where he stayed. He met other foster sleddies and went on other grand adventures, but always stayed close by.

But age and some health issues caught up with him and Deb made the incredibly difficult decision to let him go.
The day before he left, I went over for a visit and we went and got him some Timbits, a new favourite of his. 

Apex was a survivor once again and his incredible resilience was proven once again. But under whatever toughness kept him alive through the rain, snow, blasting at the mine, thunder + lightning storms and summer heat of Sechelt, he had the softest fur and he was a sucky boy who loved neck rubs and to be told how amazing and handsome he was. He also loved to be brushed and of course, treats and forest adventures. What did he dislike? My camera....though he seemed to not hate it quite so much on my last few visits.

His life, the real life he got to live, after he was adopted was what every dog should have. Love, care, adventure and respect for who he is as an individual. 

I will miss you gooby-doo. From your little Elvis lip, to your sideways glances. I will always remember going to help Deb look for you that weekend, laughing that you were probably watching us, but wouldn't come out because I had my camera with me. I'll remember the first time you tried those gross cheese slices. How they were kinda sticky, but when you finished the piece, you wanted more. And I'll remember our last visit, taking the soft part out of the timbit for you, because you didn't like the harder outside and watching you eat that gross cheese, one last time.

Below are some photos from our last visit, Oct 26, 2024. There are so many posts on my site that include him, I'd urge you to take some time to learn more about him by going to my home page and entering his name in the search bar.

Thank you to the Victoria Humane Society who brought him and his mates in all those years ago, all his dog friends and human friends for helping him navigate our weird human world. And especially to Deb, who met him where he was, through all the ups and downs and I know will miss him the mostest.

Rest in peace and love little buddy and say hi to our friends when you see them.

​xoxo
auntie wendy

*sleddie: affectionate nickname for former sled dogs