A dog named Schooner
Personal stories of inspiration, love and general observation
From Jon, longtime resident of Brooklyn Heights, a memory:
“Schooner was an adopted mix. An Irish Setter’s body and black fur. Highly intelligent and hungry for attention, super friendly with humans. We often took walks along Hicks Street or the steep part of Joralemon Street leading down to the water. If someone nearby — a stranger, say — opened their car door, Schooner assumed it had been opened for him and he would leap into the car, hopping over into the back seat, wagging his tail and waiting to be chauffeured somewhere. I ran to catch up and apologized, breathlessly. Most of the time people thought it was funny.
Once when our son was away to camp I was walking down the hallway toward his empty room. Schooner ‘scooted’ ahead of me and jumped into my son’s bed, put his head on the pillow and wagged his tail, as if to say, “ I can be your little boy while he’s away…” He was uncannily sensitive and intelligent.
Today, our son is grown and moved to another city. Schooner passed away some years ago. But we treasure him as a member of the family, and writing this to you makes us feel as if it all happened yesterday.