Bandit - the beginning of the journey

In Memory of Bandit Brady
(born 6/18/91 - died 6/16/98)

Bandit, aka Mr. B, officially by the AKC as "Alpine's Le Bandit", was born in Minnesota on June 18th, 1991, which is coincidentally my Mom's birthday. He eventually ended up on a mall storefront window in Wilmington Delaware. He captivated passing shoppers by destroying any object placed in the window with great glee, including the food bowls and even succeeded in dripping off the wall, the permanently attached water dispenser, which obviously wasn't designed to be husky proof. 

Earlier that year I had lost my companion of 14 years, Corey P. Dog and I was still having trouble adjusting to the state of doglessness. I had always admired Siberian Huskies. They always seems to have a noble bearing, dignified, but friendly and strikingly beautiful. But in truth, I didn't know anything about them. That state of blessed ignorance would soon change. I went from zero to five Siberians over the next several years. (Husky FAQ here).



Don't be fooled by their
deceptive cuteness

The seeds of my destruction was planted by the receipt of one of my trade journals that summer. Staring back at me was a pack of the cutest siberian pups. This had the effect of a computer virus on me. I immediately started carrying around the magazine and asking my wife: Look honey, aren't these puppies cute??? I have since found out that I was just one more in a long line of victims, victims of a sinister vast worldwide conspiracy, perpetuated by alien beings disguised as siberian huskies (details can be found here).

One day, minding my own business, I was walking through the mall, when I noticed a small crowd gathered around the window of the pet shop. Inside was a black & white ball of fur, looking vaguely like a Tasmanian Devil, with huge bat ears, and the most piercing blue eyes, grinning amid the surrounding destruction. I took one look and we both knew that fun times were ahead.



There was just one small problem:  Maggie was a cat person, and while she loved Corey Dog, she still at heart was a cat person. The store personnel graciously allowed us a private room to scheme together. The plan was set. I would bring Maggie back to the mall, "just to look at" this cute puppy. Bandit would play cute, and while she was distracted, Bandit would employ the Siberian variation of the Vulcan mind-meld on Maggie; at the same time, he would through force of will, manipulate my MasterCard out of my wallet and onto the counter... It was over in seconds, Maggie never knew what hit her. And so it seems, neither did I..

Over the next seven years, Bandit engaged in several careers, putting his full force of husky intensity into each one:

• The Great (Black &) White Hunter
• The Terrorist Years
• Finally gainful employment, Bandit Excavations, Inc.

Bandit graced my life with the gift of his love for seven years. He was my running companion; the dog who got chased around the house and chased back; the founding member of the Emergency Food Spill Quick Response Team; the dog who ate the back seat of my new truck two days after I got it; the chief enforcer of the "No Wildlife allowed - violators will be eaten" policy in the back yard; the dog with the great big primal wolf/husky howl; the dog who was happy to see every human and disappointed when the feeling wasn't returned; the husky with the crooked tail but always a happy smile; the dog who let you know how unhappy he was whenever you left without him, but always told you how happy he was when you returned. He was a faithful companion and my best friend. He passed onto the Rainbow Bridge two days before his seventh birthday. His mournful husky howl and quiet companionship will be greatly missed.

Always ready to go for a walk or hike