Goodbye, Howie

April 9, 2020

An obituary for our beloved dog of nearly 13 years, a 5-pound Maltese pup named Howie

LINDQUIST, HOWIE

9/4/07-4/3/20

Howie T. Lindquist was born in Walnut, IA to Lucy and – well, his human parents never got around to learning his biological father’s name. They were too enamored with his 2-pound puppy cuteness when they first laid eyes on him. While they swore they were “just going to look” at the breeder’s litter of Maltese pups, not even 5 minutes passed before the newlywed pair looked at each other and said “we’ll take him.” Afterward, they were on their way to a pet store to purchase supplies when the couple’s wedding song came on the radio: “Collide” by Howie Day. Rob said “How about Howie?” and Nicole liked that name very much.

When his new owners picked him up for the first time, they did not come prepared with a kennel. Nicole ended up holding Howie on the drive home, a car ride that resulted in him perching on her shoulder like a bird and meowing like a cat the entire hour- long trip. His new mom cried because she was afraid he was upset he was being taken from his family, but really he was just carsick. He never did care for moving vehicles, especially turn signals. Whenever his dad would use a blinker, Howie would perk up on alert. He could only hope they were turning into Barb’s Best Friends.

Some dogs are boarded when their families leave town. Howie’s family spoiled him with doggie daycare at Barb’s where the motto is “Your Best Friend is My Best Friend.” When both parents were working full time and taking night classes, Howie would spend the night with Barb. She was known to let him sleep on her pillow and even featured the 5-pound fur ball on her Christmas card one year. He was also a loyal customer of Posh Pets, where he had many haircuts over the years. The one time he did not get his trim there, the not-so-bright groomer at the now closed location mistook his breed and cut him like a schnauzer. He was always such a fluff ball when he came home.

Like many dogs, Howie loved to go for walks around the block. Always on a leash, he never let that stop him from trying to meet a new 4-legged friend. Trash day was always an adventure as garbage cans could not be trusted and were therefore barked at incessantly. Other things that fit into that category included doorbells, dogs on TV, cats (pure evil) and anytime anyone said “who’s here?”

 

Similar to a cat, Howie had nearly nine lives. He first escape from death came before he was even one year old. While he was out in his backyard sniffing grass, a neighbor dog decided Howie looked like a good snack. This other (very ugly) dog went under its chain link fence and proceeded to bite Howie. Thankfully, his superhero dad dive-bombed on top of the fray and H-dog was able to scurry away. A trip to the emergency vet resulted in some stitches and a bad leg haircut, but the lil fella was otherwise OK. It should be noted that his mom never stopped giving that other dog the side eye for the remainder of time they lived in that house.

Because he liked to jump off couches and beds with reckless abandon, Howie also threw out his back multiple times, worrying his family to no end. But thanks to some good doses of pain meds, he always came back from it and never learned his lesson. In addition, he didn’t care much for dental hygiene and because of that, had several teeth pulled over the years. His parents even forced him to take part in a photoshoot after one such cleaning and he really wasn’t having it.

Part of the reason his teeth were terrible was because he didn’t like to chew bones, but instead had an affinity for the dirty underwear of anyone who happened to leave them in accessible places as well as used tissues and paper towels. He also ate real food and his favorites included deli turkey, meat of any kind, peanut butter and anything left in someone’s purse of backpack that they’d forgotten about. Last but not least, he went through intermittent phases of eating pacifiers every 3-4 years. It was probably because Howie dutifully served as an unwilling trainee for his parents before they had human children. He even allowed them to place a diaper on him and a few onesies before he decided it just wasn’t worth his dignity.

On the subject of children, he was so tolerant of all the kids who wanted to pet him because he looked like a teddy bear. He didn’t even balk when they thought he was a girl. What, male dogs can’t be devastatingly beautiful, too?! He had the potential to earn money as a model or an agility dog (he was that quick) but was fired from the first and only job the day he went to work with his mom. After tangling up her coworker with his leash, he then suffered some digestive issues and ended up needing a bath in the workroom sink. He more than made up for that story the year he found his mom’s diamond in the carpet after it had fallen out of her ring. She had no idea where it was as she’d been so many places that day, but when Howie brought his toy back after a round of fetch, he pointed her right to it. Not surprisingly, he received extra treats that night.

Other joyous pastimes included lying in laundry pile straight out of the dryer, zooming around the house after a bath, and photobombing any and all photos taken of his siblings. If you didn’t know where he was, you could check three places: the closet, the pantry, or you just missed him as he blended in with the white blanket on the back of the couch. The dude found the cutest places to sleep.

Howie was preceded in death by his BFF Joey Lang, an Australian silky terrier, whom he always thought of as an older brother. Joey’s parents once gave Howie a bone not meant for dogs under 10 pounds and while Howie certainly enjoyed it he spent the entire night puking and their comforter was never the same. 

He is survived by:

All the dogs he has run the fence with over the years including Max, Piper, Tank, Hershey and Scout and wants them to know he would totally beat them in a long-distance footrace.

His cousin and fellow troublemaker, Hulk, who once caught a rabbit right before Howie’s very eyes. Blew his mind.

His human family:

A mom who never missed a walk with her pup, even as she began to bring along a baby carrier, a stroller and a bike. She was also known to let him out 475 times a day since his bladder was so small. Her arm crook was his preferred favorite as was following her around the house in the mornings. She misses that the most as it was their special bonding time. 

A dad who potty trained him, taught him all his tricks (sit, lay down, and roll over, which he did in succession before Rob could even give the commands). His dad also gave the best ears scratches, was diligent with his medication up until the end, and most noble of all, bravely held Howie in his arms as he drifted peacefully away to doggie heaven.

***

While his mind was willing, his body became weak, and his parents could no longer watch him suffer due to worsening congestive heart failure and complications from the medications. They wish to thank his compassionate vet, Dr. Barbara Lee for all the times she helped him overcome the odds and the remarkable end of life care that allowed him to be surrounded by peace and love in his final moments here on Earth.

 

The enormity in which he will be missed is impossible to capture with human language, but his family wants him to know how very much they loved him and will never forget the joy and happiness he brought to their lives for nearly 13 years.

Rest in my peace, our beloved puppy dog. Run fast and free. Come visit us in our dreams sometime, buddy. We sure miss ya!