Aurora
A donation was made in memory of Aurora by Doctors and Staff of the VCA North Division Animal Medical Center on Feb 17, 2010.
Aurora
Aurora was an American Pit Bull Terrier that came into our lives as a puppy. Her owner was our son. He had her about a year when he moved to Washington State where we had relocated to after 20 years in Alaska. He was renting and could not have a dog so we took her in. At the time we also owned a Rottweiler, Kuba and a cat, Squiggy. The relationship between Kuba and Aurora was tenuous at best. Kuba was an older girl with medical problems do to her age and Squiggy was a very playful cat that enjoyed the company of the new addition.
Aurora was full of mischief. She ate the heads off of several very old solid wood decoys, snapped trees and plants off in the backyard in Marysville, WA that my wife had planted and enjoyed looking at. When it rained much to Aurora’s enjoyment the back yard became her personal mud track where she’d do loops till she looked like a gray dog when in fact she was fawn with white toes and a beautiful white blaze on her chest.
Squiggy and Aurora had any unusual relationship to say the least. The most unusual was the head in the mouth of the lion trick. Squiggy liked to put his head in Aurora’s mouth and Aurora would massage the cat’s head by squeezing down and releasing pressure while the cat would purr!
Aurora and Squiggy would chase one another around the house at full tilt with rugs sliding around on the hardwood floors, furniture up ending with one of us yelling for it to stop. If the dogs were resting and Squiggy wanted to play, he would walk by one giving them a good old fashioned slap with his paw to induce a round of chase me. Kuba would jump into the game but only for a short lap or two so once the old girl quit then it off to the newest addition, Aurora for a more robust chase scene.
After Kuba and Squiggy died Aurora became the Queen of the House and remained so until her death on December 18, 2009. The Queen knew she was that and conducted herself as one right up to the end.
Aurora has touched my heart like no other dog has that I’ve owned. They all have been near and dear to me but this one for some reason was more than a dog. She was a trickster, costume wearer, guard of the family, and watchful eye for the family possessions and the door greeter for one and all that entered our house. Once introduced you were doomed to be licked, jumped on, head butted, and slept upon as she loved the touch of human friends that were staying at the Queen’s Home.
I’ll digress here and start to tell stories as they pop into my head about the Queen and me.
Aurora was fortunate to go on a lot of hikes on the western side of Washington when we were living there. She and I climbed several large mountains that required no technical skill other than knowledge of using an ice ax and proper or common sense on steep snow. I remember the first time we glissaded to together. I put her in my lap, sat down and off we went toward a spot where the lower trial was. As we picked up speed she became alarmed and jumped out of my lap on to the snow bringing us to a full tilt stop. I re-collected her, put her in my lap again but holding on very tight this time and off we went again. After a few more halts do to escapes she relaxed and glissading became a standard routine for her that I believe she enjoyed as it took so little effort on her part. Only trust in the human holding on to her.
The other aspect of hiking with Aurora that could land one in trouble the “rangers” out here was she liked to denude the landscape. She took it upon herself to pull, yes pull, trees and shrubs out of the ground by their roots at rest stops or camp sites. Why? We never quite understood, but she sure enjoyed this activity.
I miss her terribly. This is one dog that will remain in my memories for ever.
God Bless you Aurora for your company, companionship and your constant vigilant guard duty of the family.
The Jouppis
Scott J.
Aurora was an American Pit Bull Terrier that came into our lives as a puppy. Her owner was our son. He had her about a year when he moved to Washington State where we had relocated to after 20 years in Alaska. He was renting and could not have a dog so we took her in. At the time we also owned a Rottweiler, Kuba and a cat, Squiggy. The relationship between Kuba and Aurora was tenuous at best. Kuba was an older girl with medical problems do to her age and Squiggy was a very playful cat that enjoyed the company of the new addition.
Aurora was full of mischief. She ate the heads off of several very old solid wood decoys, snapped trees and plants off in the backyard in Marysville, WA that my wife had planted and enjoyed looking at. When it rained much to Aurora’s enjoyment the back yard became her personal mud track where she’d do loops till she looked like a gray dog when in fact she was fawn with white toes and a beautiful white blaze on her chest.
Squiggy and Aurora had any unusual relationship to say the least. The most unusual was the head in the mouth of the lion trick. Squiggy liked to put his head in Aurora’s mouth and Aurora would massage the cat’s head by squeezing down and releasing pressure while the cat would purr!
Aurora and Squiggy would chase one another around the house at full tilt with rugs sliding around on the hardwood floors, furniture up ending with one of us yelling for it to stop. If the dogs were resting and Squiggy wanted to play, he would walk by one giving them a good old fashioned slap with his paw to induce a round of chase me. Kuba would jump into the game but only for a short lap or two so once the old girl quit then it off to the newest addition, Aurora for a more robust chase scene.
After Kuba and Squiggy died Aurora became the Queen of the House and remained so until her death on December 18, 2009. The Queen knew she was that and conducted herself as one right up to the end.
Aurora has touched my heart like no other dog has that I’ve owned. They all have been near and dear to me but this one for some reason was more than a dog. She was a trickster, costume wearer, guard of the family, and watchful eye for the family possessions and the door greeter for one and all that entered our house. Once introduced you were doomed to be licked, jumped on, head butted, and slept upon as she loved the touch of human friends that were staying at the Queen’s Home.
I’ll digress here and start to tell stories as they pop into my head about the Queen and me.
Aurora was fortunate to go on a lot of hikes on the western side of Washington when we were living there. She and I climbed several large mountains that required no technical skill other than knowledge of using an ice ax and proper or common sense on steep snow. I remember the first time we glissaded to together. I put her in my lap, sat down and off we went toward a spot where the lower trial was. As we picked up speed she became alarmed and jumped out of my lap on to the snow bringing us to a full tilt stop. I re-collected her, put her in my lap again but holding on very tight this time and off we went again. After a few more halts do to escapes she relaxed and glissading became a standard routine for her that I believe she enjoyed as it took so little effort on her part. Only trust in the human holding on to her.
The other aspect of hiking with Aurora that could land one in trouble the “rangers” out here was she liked to denude the landscape. She took it upon herself to pull, yes pull, trees and shrubs out of the ground by their roots at rest stops or camp sites. Why? We never quite understood, but she sure enjoyed this activity.
I miss her terribly. This is one dog that will remain in my memories for ever.
God Bless you Aurora for your company, companionship and your constant vigilant guard duty of the family.
The Jouppis
Scott J.
