Happy Life

Coronado part II

The three months Sunka and I spent at Mary’s in Coronado were special and very formative. And living with my dear friend Mary again was wonderful. I was her housemate on Tenth Street from 2005-2012; she was like family.

Four years after Sunka and I lived there in 2015, Mary died. In hindsight, having had that extra time with her was such a gift. (Her voice still echoes in my head, telling me to get busy with my writing…)

Though there was already a trust bond between Sunka and me, we were still figuring each other out. I found an excellent dog trainer on the island who worked with us on the basics and then helped him achieve his AKC “Good Citizen” accreditation. Since he went everywhere with me, she taught me to read his body language and forewarned me that if another dog started a fight with him at the beach, he’d be blamed because he was a “pitbull.” There was so much I was still learning about the stigma of the breed. A couple of times at the crowded leash-free dog beach, another male dog would try to dominate him, but he was completely disinterested in that energy and would walk away. But I never doubted that if he needed to defend himself or me, he wouldn’t hesitate. Thankfully, that was never the case. We were ambassadors for peace.

Coronado was incredibly dog-friendly, so if we had to land anywhere, how lucky it was that it was there! It’s home to one of the best dog beaches in San Diego, and it also happens to be a Navy town. One day, while we were walking down the main drag, Orange Avenue, a man in dress blues was coming toward us. He proceeded to stop abruptly about three feet from Sunka and formally salute him. Turns out he was an admiral, with more ribbons and stars on his uniform than you could count in five minutes! He then commented on Sunka’s “high rank” and acknowledged his beautiful comportment. Wow, I thought, this dog, what a compliment if there ever was one!

Another time, Sunka heard a baby crying while the mother was putting it in the car seat, and he practically dragged me over to the car to check if the child was okay. I was apologizing to the mother as we were closing in, trying to explain he was a new dog to me, but very gentle, and I’d never seen him so concerned before. Thankfully, she was not alarmed and let Sunka see that the baby was alright, as he stuck his block head partially into the back of the car, the baby stopped crying. And so it was, our days of getting to know each other more and more- living at Mary’s, together all the time, walking all over the island, to the beach, Starbucks, the boutique pet store. They lavished him with treats and attention at Wag’n Tails, and believe me, he knew exactly how to get there, and would persuade me often to go.

And did he ever love the ocean! At first, he barely got his paws wet; he was sizing up that big Pacific, but within days, he was running with other dogs into the surf, or running up and down the beach looking for someone to play with. Sometimes he’d go out a little too far with the retrievers, than I would have preferred, because he was more of an anchor than a float. When the wave would crest slightly over his head, and he’d be paddling his strong, short legs toward the shore, and I’d be holding my breath, ready to go in fully clothed if need be. Fortunately, it never came to that! When it was time to leave, he never came willingly- it was a battle of wills until I got him far enough away from the water’s edge, then he’d surrender and follow. Nothing could ever persuade him to leave the ocean easily.

Those were blissful days in Coronado, even though my life was in limbo, and I knew it couldn’t last. And sure enough, one of Mary’s neighbors called the property management company and said ‘a big pitbull’ was living there. Then the manager called Mary and told her their property insurance wouldn’t cover pitbulls, and Sunka had to leave. A perfect example of breed bias. It broke Mary’s heart to see us go, but reflecting on it now, it was time, so we made the move back to Rainbow. I was closer to my dad once more, and other possibilities opened up too, as is the way when you’re on a journey, which, after all, that’s what life with all its twists and turns, really is.