Sharkey: Memoir of a Great Dog

I have known Sharkey since I was about five years old; we bought him the summer I turned six. He was the kind of dog, if he didn’t know you, he would attack you if you were on our property. If you meant no harm, or if you were visiting us for the first time, he would bark at you and try to scare you out of our property. If you stupid enough to get out of the car and he didn’t know you; you were in for a great surprise. Sharkey would chase you. He was half Golden Retriever and half Kuvasz, he was the kind of dog where, if you knew him he was the sweetest and nicest dog in the world. If you didn’t, well, you might want to be cautious when you walk on our property.

It all started when Phil, Kara, and I went to my Grandma’s neighbor’s house. At the time, they had to puppies. One was named Shelby and the other was No Name. They didn’t give him a name because the neighbors were going to sell him. We all like No Name, he was quite the amazing little puppy. Always playing with his sister and us; always wanting attention. Eventually, we kids convinced my Dad to buy him. When they bought him Phil named him Sharkey because he was enamored with sharks in his youth. Kara and I had no say in the matter because Phil is the oldest out of the three of us. To tell the truth, the name really suited Sharkey, it really did.

Sharkey was probably one of the smartest dog that I have ever come across. When Phil, Kara, and I were younger our backyard was fenced in. When we got Sharkey we eventually had to take down the fence because he found a way to open the gate and roam around outside. It was quite the trick! Also, he was one of the few dogs I know that looked both ways before crossing the street. No joke! We live on a semi-busy street, and before he crossed it he would look left and then right. If there was a car coming he would take one step back and if there wasn’t he would trot to one of the neighbors across the street.

He was a great hunter, too. His first kill was around Christmas, and I’m serious. It was a raccoon. One day during school, we came off the bus to see our doggie and when we got to the basement he was all bloodied up. It wasn’t a pretty site. My Dad said that a coon did it. So, around Christmas, a couple months later, he came home covered in blood with a coon in his mouth looking very victorious. From that day forward, he had about two coons a day or rabbits, dog food, and whatever the neighbors would give him as a peace offering. Then, during deer season he got two six point, two eight point, and one ten point deer and dragged them through the woods. Sharkey had the life every dog wants.

I remember my Mom telling me the story when Sharkey saved her and my Aunt’s life. My Dad’s friend’s had some Rottweilers and they were following behind my mom and Aunt. They didn’t Sharkey was near them. When they turned around, the Rottweilers started to pounce, almost to be killed by Sharkey. Like I said, you didn’t want to mess with this dog. 

I could tell you countless stories about how heroic my dog was, but that just makes him seem like he should be feared. He shouldn’t. On summer nights, when everyone was sleeping and I couldn’t fall asleep. I always knew that Sharkey was right outside the front door, on the third porch step lying down enjoying the night. That was his watching point. I usually went outside, and just sit by him and pet him. He usually seemed to enjoy that, he’d put his head on my knee and we would look at the stars. I miss those times.

It might seem as though I’m making all of this about my dog up, but I’m not. He protected us, made me feel safe. It was just sad that someone hit him with a car, and took his life from him. He was a great dog, and there is other dog that I will ever get that will compare to him. He will always be in my heart.