Ike: A Good Friend
- Paulsen says that he spent much of his childhood alone. Guess things didn't really improve on the parent front after the Philippines.
- His parents were alcoholics, and Paulsen himself was very shy. As a result, he was a super lonely child.
- At 12, his uncle gifted him with a rifle. After that, Paulsen hung out by himself in the woods pretty much all the time.
- He says that hunting wasn't just a hobby; it was a salvation. He started with rabbits and grouse.
- While he was hunting, he appreciated the beauty of his surroundings. It was so beautiful that he started sleeping in the woods on the weekends.
- It sounds romantic, but Paulsen tells us it was very lonely. He didn't appreciate alone time during that period of his life. He longed for a friend with whom he could share these experiences in the woods.
- His second year hunting, Paulsen started shooting ducks. There were lots of them—millions of them—in the area.
- Paulsen didn't consider himself an expert duck hunter, but he loved it. It was his life.
- Paulsen's life at this point basically consisted of hiking out to swamp in the dark at 3:00 in the morning, hiding in the brush, and shooting ducks. Sounds fun.
- He'd usually shoot a few ducks, but he had trouble retrieving them. Hmm. Sounds like Paulsen could use a hunting dog.
- What do you know? Seemingly out of nowhere, a hunting dog appears. His name is Ike.
- Paulsen describes Ike as one of his best friends. He wasn't a pet; he was an equal.
- Paulsen tells the story of the morning he met Ike. The day started back at his apartment, where he made fried egg sandwiches to pack for his hunt.
- It was hunting season, so he decided to go walking through the swamp at 3:00 in the morning, as usual. He's wading through the muck, trying to get up an embankment.
- At the top, a dark creature comes close to his face and woofs. Paulsen promptly goes tumbling down the embankment.
- As he falls, he begins to wonder if the creature was a bear. Wait a minute, do bears say woof?
- At the bottom of the embankment, he loads his shotgun and notices just in time that the creature is a big black dog, not a woofing bear.
- Paulsen felt angry—not at the dog, but at its owner. He looks around, but he can't find anyone.
- Realizing the dog is on his own, Paulsen wonders if he might be a stray. Nah, he's too well-fed.
- Paulsen decides to take the dog hunting. The dog is really into it.
- He tries to check the dog's collar, but he can't get close enough. They set off to shoot some ducks.
- Bingo—Paulsen shoots one. The dog goes tearing off like a bat out of heck and retrieves it.
- Now that they're pals, the dog lets Paulsen check his tag. It simply says, "My name is Ike." No digits, no address.
- During duck season, Paulsen went hunting every day. Literally. Sweet Ike was always there to meet him in the woods.
- Pretty soon they were old hunting partners. Ike was well-trained. He'd clearly hunted with someone else.
- When Paulsen would miss a shot, Ike gave him a withering look.
- When the duo had finished hunting for a day, they'd part ways at the bridge. Paulsen could never convince Ike to come home with him.
- Curious about where Ike went after they parted, Paulsen spied on him one evening. He hid and watched Ike trot off to the far side of the river. His home was a mystery, and it stayed that way for 30 years.
- In the woods, the buds spent some quality time together. Paulsen made Ike egg sandwiches, and in exchange Ike would listen to Paulsen's problems.
- On the weekends, when Paulsen camped in the woods, Ike stayed with him.
- One morning, Ike just disappeared. He was gone as quickly as he had come into Paulsen's life.
- Paulsen assumed Ike had died, and he was really sad about it.
- Thirty years went by. Paulsen joined the army and ran sled dogs.
- One day, he was back in Minnesota giving a presentation about sled dogs at a sporting goods store. During the show, he told the story of Cookie, the sled dog who saved his life.
- Afterwards a veteran came forward to tell him about his own dog, a lab. They had hunted together until the veteran lost the use of his legs in the war.
- The veteran was gone for a year. When he came home wounded, the dog never left his side again.
- Paulsen puts two and two together, and realizes that the veteran's dog might be his old friend. He asks the veteran if the dog's name was Ike.
- The veteran is surprised that Paulsen knows Ike's name, and asks if he knew the dog. Paulsen says yes, they were friends.