Kids & Dogs
How could you live without kids or dogs? The idea of neither stumps me for sure.
When Susie and I married It had been several years since I had a pet. My heeler Dozer was my constant companion while in college. He went everywhere with me and was my good travelin’ buddy. He even spent two weeks traveling the western US while I visited potential horse farms to intern at. My senior year in college I moved out to the equine facility at the Tarleton farm and lived there. I couldn’t keep a dog at the farm, so remorsefully I let Dozer go live with Chuck and Tracie Selman. While working in south Texas I found Chuck & Tracie living in McAllen, TX. We got together and I saw Dozer for the first time in about 3 years. It took him a bit to figure me out, but his tail went to waggin’ 90 miles an hour after a few moments with me. I like to think he remembered me, but it had been too long. He surely forgot about me and took to Chuck and Tracie like I had hoped he would.
Susie had two cats when we married, Patches and Jacob. Unfortunately, when we arrived home from our honeymoon, Jacob had passed on to that great litter box in the sky. Pretty awful thing to come home to. It actually really sucked… Susie found the next boarder running along the road by her work and brought him home. No one answered the flyers we posted, so we had a new family member, Smokie the nervous dog. He was a great dog with a ton of energy. His only fault was pissing on himself when he got excited. We had to be really calm when we came home at the end of the day so he wouldn’t piddle.
Susie found our next companion while helping her friend feed her horses. Mr. T probably went back multi generations as a feral cat. He passed on the gift of ringworm to us and everyone but the dog became infected. Loads of fun having to shave the cats so we could doctor the ringworm. Mr. T was named because of his sour disposition. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone but Susie and me. Going to the vet was an ordeal in itself. He would scream like a baby (seriously, a 3-month-old human infant) and the entire waiting room stared and whispered when we left the vet’s office. Mr. T died at the ripe old age of 13 and still only had two friends.
Smokie was not a very country smart dog and when we moved to Sherman, Texas, he found out the hard way that coyotes aren’t the nicest souls. Around 6 months after Smokie left us, I was at a feed store in Waxahachie, TX and a guy happened to stop in and ask the store manager if she knew anyone who wanted a Blue Heeler pup. Talk about timing. I met the guy on the side of Interstate 35 a couple of hours later and was soon the proud owner of two full sisters. Abbie and Mazie were two of the best dogs in the world. They were constantly no more than 25 or 30 feet away from each other their entire life. We lost Abbie at an early age to an auto-immunity disease and Mazie lived another 13 years.
Sam the pit-bull was the most misunderstood dog in the world. He showed up one freezing winter day right before Christmas. Abbie and Mazie were outside and began barking like the end of the world was upon us. Sam was curled up in the flower beds and about half dead. He had literally no hair and was skinny as a killdeer with lockjaw, (Google it). The mange he had literally broke the bank. He got through it and was probably the best dog I ever had. Loyal and protective with a streak of goofiness in him.
Sam, Mazie, Abbie, Mr. T and Hannah (recently acquired cat) moved to California with us. 3 days in the car with 5 animals is a joy everyone should experience at least once. Abbie didn’t make the trip back to Texas and died in California of an auto immunity disease. Mr. T passed on in California also, grumpy to the end. Mazie, Sam and Hannah made the trip back to California in 2008; they knew how to pack it up and move it out on a moment’s notice.
Maize and Sam both passed within a few months of each other. Susie and me took Mazie to the vet, but Susie had to deal with Sam by herself. We kicked around the idea of a dog, but just couldn’t do it for a while.
While at a meeting, I get a call from a customer who knew someone that wanted to give away a Blue Heeler. I thought this was the sign we were looking for. Uhm, nope….
Lucy was 6 months old and all she knew how to do was eat and, well, you know. It has taken 2 ½ years to get her to somewhat listen to me. Oh sure, she talks to her mom and has a grand time, but I am only a shadow in her eyes.
About a year and a half ago, I stopped at a customer’s store and a man had a Red Heeler he couldn’t keep. She was about 3 months old and cute as can be. I called the boss to see if I could bring another dog home and got the okay.
We couldn’t figure out what to name her until one day she was running around going ape-shit and I thought, “Damn, she’s a pistol.” Annie Oakley was derived from that moment of wisdom. She listens a lot better than Lucy does, but she can’t stand the deer, turkeys, squirrels and the peacocks from invading her space. By the way, I didn’t know peacocks could fly….
The both have multiple names now and believe it or not, they will respond to all of them.
Lucy
Aka as “The Queen”
Lucinda
Lucia
Lucille
Lucy (said with heavy Spanish accent as Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy)
Dumb Ass
Annie
Aka as “The Red Head”
Annie of Green Gables
Annie Oakley
Anna Alisia
Annabelle (as in the movie about the possessed doll)
Dip Shit
We don’t use the last two except when we are inside the house, but they still perk their ears up.
We have been blessed with the best “kids” of all. Even my mom calls them “grand-dogs”. My dad draws pencil art of them and everyone has a place on the wall.
Life couldn’t be better without ‘em.
