The Hannibal.

     I bought The Hannibal while at a horse show in Medford Oregon when he was 8 weeks old.  This young girl was carrying him around and I asked her if he was for sale.  She said yes.  I said how much, $750.00, I went to the local Wells Fargo and got the cash.  I have always wanted a black Tri color Corgi and he was just about the handsomest one I had ever seen.  He had too much white on one ear and that made him different enough that I liked him even more.  I had no idea just how different he would turn out to be. 

     He was quiet and kind of aloof but seemed not to concerned that he had a new person.  The breeder said they showed horses as well and they would be at the show all week if I had any questions.  His original name was going to be Gunner.  I already had a Shooter and I thought Gunner would be fitting name for his brother.  A few hours into this new partnership the Hannibal went through a dramatic personality change.  He was unquestionably an Alpha male.  He would throw a tantrum if he didnt get what he wanted or get to do what he wanted to do, and he literally tried to bite anyone who tried to pick him up.  On the way back to the motel he actually bit a hole in my nose when I leaned over to put my face up to his.  That was just the beginning of our battle for supremacy.  In the motel room I put him on the bed and he jumped off.  I put him back on and he jumped off.  Keep in mind every time I picked him up he would bite me and get in trouble for it.  Eventually he got angry enough when I put him back on the bed he ran to one of the pillowcases and literally attacked it trying to tear it apart.  I picked him up said no and swatted his butt.  He jumped off the bed ran into the bathroom grabbed the trash bag hanging over the edge of the trashcan and pulled it over and tried to shred it.  I spanked him again and he spent the rest of the night laying between the toilet and the wall. 

      Needless to say the next day I started a search for the breeder which turned out to be fruitless as they were no where to be found.  They were not entered in the horse show and they were not answering their phone.  I was stuck with the little shit.  He was so bad at biting that Kellie Hinley suggested naming him Hannibal.  Somebody else said to hold him upside down until he submitted to it and he would get over his aggression.  I tried several times while at the stall and every time I went to hold him on his back and rub his belly he would scream and growl and howl like holy hell and I would eventually give up.  I ended up taking him to the horse trailer and holding him that way for over 20 minutes until he finally pissed all over both of us and stopped struggling.  He may have gotten over me holding him that way, he may have stopped biting and growling about it, but he never liked it for the rest of his life. 

     I was on a 6 week horse show trip so he went from Medford Oregon to Watsonville CA, to Temecula CA, back to Watsonville CA and then home to Phoenix.  He turned out to be very brilliant and dramatic.  He would panic and get hysterical if his water bowl was empty.  He stayed that way until the end.  He continued to bite everyone, and if he wanted in the tack room and the door was closed he would paw and bite and pull on it trying to get it open.  Until the end if you closed a door and he wanted through it he would bite and attack the door.  He traveled with me everywhere.  Biting people until he got tired of me spanking him for it.  The only person he continued to bite and growl at was Dave.  He never liked Dave.  Bit him and ignored him and tried to keep me away from him until that ended.  It was a battle of will until one day when he was about 8 months old.  I had several people suggest that I should put him down but by then he was just biting me and it became a challenge that I couldnt back down from.  I thought if I loved him enough that he would give in.  Eventually he did.  He went everywhere I did.  The barn, the store, the horse show, the race track, even riding shotgun with me sometimes.  He had done enough laps at Inde Motorsports Ranch that when I would get on the brakes at the end of the main straight he would lean to the left into the seat for balance even before we made the corner.

     He has ridden with me in the buggy, gotten cold and would sleep with me under the covers in the living quarters trailer, and he love to play fetch and to swim.  If I was in the pool, the Hannibal was in the pool.  He would even swim by himself.  When I was sick he was right on the bed by my side.  As time went on there was never any question how much I loved him and that I was his person.  He loved going to the track and to go camping.  If I hooked up the diesel to the toyhauler he would follow me until we loaded to leave, unless he had to stay home then he would piss on the floor.  He hated staying in the toyhauler at the track, he wanted to be outside.  I didnt understand what the big deal was until I was working the grid one day and I could watch him at the trailer.  Gene Greenley, made a point to stop and love on him.  Adrian Little, Pete Creek, it seemed he had his own little fan club.  Those that didnt know him often asked why I called him The Hannibal.  Its because he was The Hannibal.  He was like his own entity.  Everything he did was in overdrive. 

    I didnt love the Hannibal more on purpose.  He just kind of demanded it.  He was proud and stoic and Brave and tough and demanded that you put him first, and he put me first as well.  I never questioned which dog I belonged to.  I have had dogs my whole life.  I never imagined I would love one so much more than the others.  The Hannibal was going to be 11 in April.  He had ACL surgery a little over a year ago and was doing fine until he wasnt.  I had to make the choice that responsible pet owners have to make sometimes.  It is our duty to see they never have to suffer. 

     Being the Hannibal's person was one of the greatest gifts of my life.  I wish everyone could know the love that I felt for him.  I am grateful for the companionship and the love that he gave to me.  I truly hope there is such a thing as the Rainbow Bridge because being together with the Hannibal again will be one of the biggest joys in my life.  Until then I have his memories, and pictures to keep him alive in my heart. 

    I need to thank Chris and Cara Wynn for answering the call and holding my hand during an impossible situation.  VetMed emergency hospital for having more care, respect and compassion than I thought was possible. And Brian for keeping me sane and being my rock.  There would be no tomorrow without him.