Roo was nearly five when he was returned to his breeder, Vi Nichols. She very kindly let me have him, for which I can never thank her enough, and Roo came to live with me just a few weeks after my twenty-first birthday.
I'll never forget the day I met him. I took him for a walk outside, and he floated round at the end of his lead as politely and easily as if I had known him all my life. It was the start of a special relationship.
Roo was one of the few dogs I've met that really enjoyed eye contact. His eyes would be on me constantly, and his whole face would brighten instantly if my gaze met his. He would spend hours gazing into my eyes as if trying to tell me something.
His name at that point was Sabre, but it didn't really suit him, and I started to call him Roo after my nephew Brendan pointed out that he ran with a bouncing action like Roobarb the cartoon dog.
Roo had been very well trained by his previous owners, and was a delight to live with. He had been trained to walk at a steady trot; if you slowed down, the trot slowed too; if you sped up he would trot faster and faster without ever breaking into a gallop. Exercise was a problem in some ways, because he would not run. He was extremely fat at first, and despite being walked for miles every day, he never lost the loose skin and the tendency to put on weight.
He could be let off the lead, as he would never walk far from my side - perhaps afraid I would disappear. Later on, when he had settled in, our favourite game was hide and seek, and although I think he was a little anxious when he couldn't see me, he always looked so pleased when he actually found me, tail waving with a big grin on his face. Oh yes, he had taught himself to smile - he noticed that the humans showed their teeth at each other when they were happy, so he did it too.
He taught himself new words as well, like "chocolate" (which he was never allowed, but which always brought an involuntary lick of the lips). We found that he would go berserk if we bought take away curry, and we sometimes let him have a lick of the sauce as a special treat.
Food was very important to Roo. When he decided that it was dinner time, if we were watching television, he would sneak up and sit between the TV and us. Suddenly you would realise that you couldn't see the TV. As your eyes focused on the obstruction, he would grin that cheesy grin and wag his tail as hard as he could. Dinner was greeted with a dance of joy - his 'Fred Astaire routine'.
Time passed and my circumstances changed. I moved several times over the next few years, and Roo adapted to every change as politely as ever. He spent some time with other members of my family, first my sister Colleen and her family and then my sister Debi. A long-time cat chaser, he had to learn to live with several cats, including my husband's cat MacGregor. MacGregor had never met a dog before, and was at first terrified, but eventually he learned that he could dominate the dog. Roo used to pass the sofa at a trot, because MacGregor would sit on the back of it and bat at the curly tail as it passed by. The only time MacGregor nearly came to grief was when he hid in a paper carrier bag and then erupted out of it as Roo passed. Roo didn't know he was there, and nearly leapt out of his skin - he snapped at his attacker, realising it was the cat in the nick of time. MacGregor was careful to keep the upper hand by glaring and stalking off, only slightly ruffled.
Eventually I had my first baby and I was a little worried about how Roo would take it as this was why he had been rehomed. I needn't have worried. He greeted the newest member of the family as politely as ever, and soon his favourite place was next to Paddy's bouncy chair where he could keep an eye on things.
In old age, Roo developed arthritis and his desire for exercise decreased. He would often turn back himself after twenty minutes, and had difficulty going up steps. I wish I had known then what I know now about the effectiveness of medication for arthritis. Finally, his kidneys began to fail and he was given rest. Farewell, my dearest friend. My heart is broken. You were my once in a lifetime dog. If only we could have had a longer time together.
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