One of the great things about our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap is it allows people to speak with their hearts about their spotlighted loved ones.
Stephanie Timko sent us this magnificent slumber mugshot of her pal and introduced it with this sentence:
“Here is my angel Iggy. I love him so much....especially when he is sleeping or snuggling.”
We sent her a note asking for a bio on this handsome fellow and she responded with an absolutely dear report, plus a bonus sleeper photo.
Stephanie writes:
“His full name is Ignacious Bear-Bear Timko.
“I lost my soul-mutt, Bella Grazie Timko, in June of 2010. I was grieving her very hard when my husband and I went to the ... adoption event at North Park on Christmas Eve. Iggy was overgrown and shaggy and pretty lethargic. He wasn’t particularly friendly but, my husband thought he was adorable. I couldn’t bring myself to connect to another dog after loosing my Bella.
“My husband, Tom talked me into adopting Iggy on Christmas Eve and although I wasn’t very excited about it I didn’t want him to spend Christmas Eve in a kennel. So, we adopted him and took him home.
“Iggy’s paperwork said that he was a 3-5 year old ‘owner-surrender with requested euthanasia.’ I couldn’t believe it.
“He is a gorgeous black/tan Cocker Spaniel. We believe he is purebred. But, we did find out that he had horrible ear infections that been left untreated for probably his entire life. He could not hear much of anything. The smell from his ears was overpowering and he was terribly lethargic. Just touching his head made him cry out.
“We took him to four vets before we found someone we trusted to work with Iggy. He had ear canal reconstruction in lieu of ablation and we went to Dr. Dennis Crow, an allergy specialist. The combination of the partial ablation, special allergy medication, Chinese herbs and a strict diet brought Iggy to back to health. We occasionally battle itchy ears and some smelliness but we stay on top of it.
“He LOVES toys that move. He HATES fuzzy rugs but loves the Tempur-Pedic bed. He goes nuts for apples and watermelon but despises carrots. He tolerates sweet potatoes but only when there are no other treats in sight.
“When we first got Iggy I was working full time and my husband was traveling for work and Iggy had to be alone a lot. I would come home, tired after a long day, take Iggy for several short walks and eat dinner while watching TV shows in my computer. The apartment would get very dark with only the glow of my screen for light. Iggy would lie at my feet. I went to bed very late one night after watching shows all night long. I heard some scratching in the dining room where I had my computer. When I went out I found Iggy sitting on my chair and hitting the keyboard to illuminate the computer screen. He was staring very intently at the screen as if he were wondering what it was that was so interesting that it would capture all my attention for hours on end. That was the moment that I fell in love with my little Ig-man. That’s when I realized that, despite his illnesses and pain, and despite my distance, that he wanted to be close and he was interested in us and wanted to be part of our lives.
“And that’s when Iggy Bear Bear became the center of the universe and become the most spoiled little boy in the universe. Treats dominated our kitchen counter. Pancake Sundays became a regular ritual. Walks and dog park visits became big family adventures for the three of us and life was good. And every Christmas we took him to New Mexico to hike the snow. He loves long car trips and new adventures.
“Until Abbey came along. (The other sleeper.)
“Yep, I rescued a South Dallas dog. I thought it would make Iggy happy but it turns out that he still, (three years later) is waiting for Abbey to leave. LOL!
“Iggy is sitting here at my feet as I type and when I look down he looks up and wags his stubby little tail. That tail never stops wagging.
Iggy finally got to meet our grand-daughter at the end of August. On their trip back home they asked her if she met any doggies at Grandpa’s house and she threw up her arms and said ‘Ig-Man!!!’ Yep – he is a hit with the kids. He is gentle and curious and kind."
[LARRY SLUMBER REMINDER: It was Iggy tapping at the computer keyboard that got me, ladies and gentlemen, and made me ache for the late Inky, Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas. Please send photos and info about your sleeping dog or napping cat to [email protected] and we’ll spotlight them in our long-running weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Remember, we post these photos to inspire insomniacs and we tell the stories to inspire people to give homes to animals in need of a place that has a computer, cable TV, a good couch and a comfortable bed. Save the animals and we save ourselves.]
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