Archie-bold and truly gritty

Archibald was a scruffy little puppy when we brought him home, he couldn't have weighed more than a pound when he met his new brother and I. Bruno, my 65 pound mutt and farm dog extraordinaire, took this little scrap of a puppy under his wing unenthusiastically at first. As cute as he was, Bruno wasn't the only one with doubts, little Archie had big pawprints to fill to say the least. Bruno had been my best friend and favorite adventurer for a long time, he was serious about his job and explored every inch of trail with all he had. If we're talking size, he had alot more than the tiny ball of scruff looking up to him.

Bruno was seven when I decided to bring Archie home, slowly approaching retirement and despite his hesitation I needed him to help me train the new guy. If he turned out to be half the hiker Bruno was I would be enthralled. Whether Archie was a hiker or not I loved him for what he was, a cute and cuddly pup who licked everyone he met, and he grew on the big dog in no time. I have to admit I was never a small dog person, apparently neither was Bruno, but I was destined for apartments for some time and he looked so cute in his online profile, I figured this small dog was worth a shot.

With Bruno’s guidance Archie never had the chance to realize he was little; they patrolled the barnyard at my parent’s every day together, swam in the pond together, chased the cats together, and slept in my bed together. Bruno was so bonded to me, and Archie was so bonded to Bruno, that after only six months of enjoying the little guy’s company I decided he could join the big dog and I on a little family hike. With two dogs, two brothers, and two fishing poles, I parked at the Glenwood Lake boat launch and headed for trail. We went behind the dam that held the lake together with plans of following the small stream that flowed from it, a half a mile or so, to do some lazy fishing in shallow and slow moving water.

The path we took was never busy and the hole we chose was almost never fished so I trusted my loyal companion and his trainee to explore it without the restriction of leashes. As we followed the stream it grew a little wider and a little deeper, transforming from a trickle to a splash.

Eventually we had to cross the moving water to continue to my brother’s “honey hole”, despite its unideal depth and temperature, he insisted he would catch some bigun back there. We had to wade through ankle deep water, just above a waterfall of about 10 feet, to continue along the trail to this secret spot with mysteriously large fish. The water fell quickly into a shallow and narrow pool. I watched my brothers cross effortlessly with their fishing gear before I made my way along the rocky edge. Right behind me was Bruno making his swift and purposeful steps, Archie followed right behind him with his little legs moving double time to keep up with the pack.

I crossed easily, Bruno followed without hesitation, but Archie stopped in the middle of the stream and looked straight down. After a moment of contemplation, he jumped over the edge and I panicked. Ten feet to you and I is a lot smaller than ten feet to a Shih-tzu mix that hadn’t even finished growing up. I flew to the bottom faster than my feet could take me, I held my breath until I held him in my hands.

I saw a scruffy little pup jump from a waterfall, but I pulled a courageous companion from the pool below. As I held him in my hands I felt our bond growing stronger. He looked like a wet rat, earning him the nickname 'Master Splinter', but he was smiling at me with pride in what he had done. Archibald means bold and true, and I hoped he would live up to his name when I gave it to him. On his first hike, he showed me that his name doesn’t begin to explain it, that definition leaves out fearless and proud. I haven’t doubted him since that very first hike, part of me belives he only jumped to prove himself as a worthy adventurer to Bruno and I, if that was his plan it worked perfectly.

At almost twelve, Bruno is fully retired from hiking. Now, he keeps busy with short walks and long naps on a soft bed, he’s enjoying his golden years to say the least. Without a common language it’s hard to tell for sure, but I think Bruno takes pride in the prodigy he’s passed the torch to, after all he learned from the best. Archie has truly earned his promotion to my fulltime hiking partner, he's grown to a whopping 15 pounds and every ounce of his body is made of grit. He gets dirty whenever he can and never hesitates on the trail, no matter the obstacle. It’s not the size of the dog on the hike, but the size of the hike in the dog, Archie’s inner hike is Mt. Everest.

This little dog has changed my opinion on little dogs and so much more, he’s made me aware of just how strong something small can be. He’s taught me to reserve judgment, to see actions over image, to doubt stereotypes,and to enable others to do things no one else thought they could do. He’s taught me that moving onto the next chapter can be painful and beautiful, he changed my life and his brothers for the better. I'll never forget the moment I relaized just how great this little dog is and he reminds me every day.