In Memoriam~Deja Vu Barton(1996-2012)

Deja Vu Barton(1996-2012)

Not everything written in dog care manuals agrees with my experience.  I've rejected analysis that claims that dogs do not have the capacity for love or even loyalty.  Deja Vu, our miniature poodle disproved that commentary every day of her sixteen years of life.  Keenly intelligent, , sensitive enough to recognize human sadness, but also vain, well aware that she was pretty,  Deja possessed several traits some dog experts claimed she was incapable of possessing.

Although Deja enjoyed the attention she got after being groomed with a poodle cut and purple ribbons in her hair, she was not a prissy girl.  She loved to jump in the boat and ride in the stem almost like a hood ornament with the wind and water whipping against her face.  Once, when she was a mere puppy, our son was driving us across the 9,000 acre Eagle Mountain Lake in North Texas when a speedboat cut in front of us, forcing us into his wake.  The jolt sent Deja straight up into the air and overboard.  Nena screamed, never having seen Deja swim.  Before our son could swing the boat around, we could see only a mere speck on the surface of the water, hundreds of yards away.  As we got closer, it became obvious that the puppy DID know how to dog paddle!

While many canines distrust strangers, Deja never met one, being an unabashed people person.  In long walks through Arroyo City, she would stop at the driveway of a fishing cottage or vacation home where we had once met people.  I would have to tell her:  "No Deja.  No one is home there today."

Deja leaves behind a twelve year old brother, Roc, a miniature pinscher  and two anguished parents.  

Tomorrow Night

by Bob Dylan

"Tomorrow night, will you remember what you said to night ?
Tomorrow night, will all the thrill be gone ?
Tomorrow night, will it be just another memory
Or just another song, that's in my heart to linger on ?"