Sailor here.
I am still Mom's ghost dog. And it's fun!
I heard her tell Aunt Judy that Jib has stepped into my shoes, and I went to check it out. But, really Mom, I don't HAVE shoes. I don't even have feet!
But Jib is doing some of my job. He is now the Fun Police. Especially when Kite and Banner are chasing and barking and pouncing on each other.
And Kite has really grown up! You should see him! He almost looks like a dog now. But he still has puppy mind and adolescent nose and is brainless most of the time now. I was NEVER brainless.
Jib now sticks close to Mom, so close that she sometimes runs into him. Then she says, "Ooph!" and stumbles and Jib dances away and apologizes.
So I tried sticking close to Mom, too, and guess what? MOM WALKS RIGHT THROUGH ME! She doesn't Ooph or stumble or anything. She just goes right through me. And it doesn't hurt. And I can walk right through her, too. And Jib. And Kite. It's fun!
But there are things Jibby can't do. He can't make Mom's tears stop the way I could. He can't bark at the mailman the way I could. He can't say Good Night to Mom in the same way.
But he's learning.
And Zoe, well, she's running the Iditarod now, so she's really busy. She sent me pictures and she is lead dog and bossy dog and fast dog and best dog. She says she will lead the winning team under the burl arch in Nome, just wait and see. The only thing she misses is the fish snacks. She says she doesn't have teeth any more or a throat or stomach, so fish are pretty much for the living huskies on the trail. But she is finally doing what she always dreamed about: running The Last Great Race.
