Shackleton, aka Shack or Shackie, entered our lives in early 2004 when he was just a few weeks old-and life was never the same. We named him for Sir Ernest Shackleton the Antarctic explorer whose route to save the crew of his ice bound ship we had travelled the year before. We lived then in Maryland and Shackleton was a natural for rural life on the water. He loved monitoring the arrival of the waterfowl in the spring and their departure in the fall, being in charge of the big yard-just ask the squirrels and rabbits- and co-captaining the Boston Whaler exploring the streams and creeks close to home.
He was a ‘people’ dog and he enjoyed his daily walks where he stopped and greeted all he met, receiving a generous rub from every one. A natural athlete, he loved a good throw, although he was better at catching than returning. We suggested that, as a retriever he should be ’wired’ to return balls, but he had his own views on that subject.
Life was not all play though. Shackleton took classes and participated in local and regional dog shows, receiving his Canine Good Citizen award and winning enough ribbons to merit a Certificate of Excellence for Rally from the American Kennel Society (AKC).
In 2016, Shackleton along with us, our son and grandson drove across the country to our new home in Portland. He had a two weeks plus adventure, staying in dog-friendly motels, visiting historic places and National Parks, and eating in restaurants with special doggie menus. Settled in his new home, he appreciated the variety in walking routes and made new friends among the humans, and the canines, of which there were an extraordinary number, in his new neighborhood.
Shackleton lived almost 16 years, much longer than the normal life span of a Labrador, but not long enough for us. He was a faithful ‘friend’ and enriched our lives enormously. We think of Shackleton every day and cherish our wonderful memories.