Dog Tales
Alas, when she held the white, bright-eyed puppy in her arms, she was smitten. The little girl had a splash of brown on her left ear. “What a honey you are,” Kendra whispered in that very ear.
He’s simply “the great dog” that everyone would want. Thunderstorms don’t bother him, he doesn’t bark much - and if/when he does, it’s a deep throated bark. ‘Wooooof.’
Piper pouted. Weren’t they proud of her? Piper was known to sometimes visibly express her feelings. Lucy ran to the box of toys and grabbed her favorite - Lamb Chop - and asked Piper if this was the way she thrashed that darn rabbit in the yard. Piper bent down, hind-end in the air, ready to play. Yes! Let’s play!
After a successful day of sun and fishing, the family enjoyed a hearty dinner. Reviewing their day, Catie sat next to Otis, scratching his neck and ears.
Excitedly, Lulu explored her new abode and was enchanted to discover two bins full of toys for her pleasure. Some squeak. Some are soft. But for Lulu, the best…the Best…the BEST toy is the crackler. It’s soft on the outside but makes a crunching/crackling sound when she rolls on it.
She settled into the safety of a foster home - through the Rescue Crew in Plymouth, Minnesota. Geoffrey, a friend and advocate of the group, was struck by the girl’s sweet personality as she was recovering from her distress. He had an idea.
As he settled in to his new home, Russell instinctively followed Kim everywhere. His journey had been a long one. Since she first met Russell, Kim secretly suspected that he had sent a confidential message to her, beckoning her to collect him. Kismet.
He does delight in long walks (for him, 1/2 mile), which will sometimes lead to the open field near their house. For this little guy, it is a day in heaven. Zoomies, anyone? Tug? Fetch? Let’s run!
Admittedly, Sugar is a quintessential lap dog. When it became obvious to her that Ron was her main human, she stayed close to him. If Ron went to the kitchen, Sugar was on his heels (after all, that’s where the treats are stored). She became a bona fide Mini-Me.
The twins looked at one another, then at Archer. They all nodded their heads in agreement. Then cheers and dancing commenced. Georgie was coming home!
Angella was elated. Emma was the softest, easiest, sweetest baby she could ever imagine loving. Well, a baby with a tail, that is. Emma was young and spry. Although she was a tiny little ball of animated fur, Emma brought boundless love into Angella’s life.
She’s goofy. She’s silly. She’s a dork. And Mom Wendy and Dad Dean love her for it.
Now about 3 years old, Quoia’s journey into the hearts and home of Wendy and Dean began long before she was a glint of a squeaky toy in their eyes.
Vance had made his decision. He wanted a red dog. And so it was that Mom Heather began researching where to find the new family pet. Certainly an Irish Setter is red, she thought. Also, a Dachshund, but Vance needed a big dog. Maybe one he could bring hunting. After all, he was already 11.
Since it had been a strictly cat house, welcoming Maddie, a dog!, was an important step for the sanity of their home.
She was dying. The tiny, one pound, eight week old Pomeranian was barely moving. A panicked breeder presented her to students at the Oregon Veterinary School. Wes, one of the students, gently lifted her from the breeder’s mound of blankets and towels.
When then frolicking fun has ended, Charley retreats to her throne. Monkey finds his favorite toy: a bottle cap. No matter how fussy or clever another cat toy may be, Monkey is a bottle cap kind of guy. When he’s had his way with one, Jess is sure to replace with a fresh one. If not, Monkey will burst into a rendition of one of the seeming 300 “songs” he can create.
Indeed, Paula’s commitment to pets goes beyond her work as a technician at Carver Lake Veterinary Clinic; she simply loves dogs. And cats. It began after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of New Orleans and pets were being shipped to shelters around the country. Paula knew she had to participate; she would foster any dog that she could – provided she had the space in her home. Years later, when a little jumping bean named Matilda Joy Sunshine, landed in Paula’s home, she found herself about to break her other rule: No Labs and No Small Dogs.
With her 8 inch long nose and extensive, limber ears that flop about helping to scoop up the scent of her prey, Coco was focused on her occupation. She riveted her nose back to the ground so no rabbit would go unfound.
Annie’s eyes grew happy and wide. Somehow, somewhere during her short life, Annie had learned that the word “treat” and what came next. Rykken reached into her purse and withdrew a soft, juicy puppy bit. Annie inhaled the treat and – because she has above average intelligence – stuck her nose deep into Rykken’s purse.
As a youngster Ariot and her litter mate Boo were used as “fence testers.” When railings needed to be mended, the good architects of the farm would fix what they could see was broken. THEN! Ariot and Boo would be let loose inside the secured area. As master escape artists, Ariot and Boo could find any size hole or weak link and slither through or hop over it.
Willie, my golden retriever, died Sept. 7 (2016). Like other dog owners, I talked to him all the time, never truly knowing if he comprehended anything I was saying. Even though he's gone, there are a few more things I want to tell him:
Hey Willie, so what am I supposed to do now? After 13 years of having you by my side, in my Ridgeline, beside our bed, in every family setting I can think of?
I've been a zombie since you died, not knowing what to do with myself. Drove to Cannon Beach to spend my first full day without you. Weird to not have you running around, jumping in the surf, chasing seagulls, wondering when I'd give you a bite of whatever I was eating.