Those that came between

We all aspire to love equally, but in reality, it rarely happens. No matter how often or how many we love, there are always those who are special. I've shared Rebel, Reba, Raven, Callahan, Jett and Deuce with you. Now for the ones that came between. 


Susie
Susie was a little white mutt, round as a sausage, who belonged to my great-grandmother. When she had to go live with her only daughter, Susie needed a home. My mother stepped in. Susie was well past her prime when we got her. She was a pleasant wee thing, but we weren't her people. 

Bogart
One of our neighbors got this little mixed breed Terrier and then didn't want it. I remember Bogie as being so ugly as to be cute. He was with us just a few days one summer and was hit by a car. I think his death was what actually moved my father to say Reba could stay. 

Rogue
Rogue wandered into the neighborhood one day and took it over. He slept in our garage - when he wasn't sleeping next door. Or at my uncle's. Or anywhere else he chose. Rogue made it clear he belonged to himself, although Mom paid the vet bills. He was old when he came. His teeth were quite worn down. Rogue developed cancer and Mom had him put down.

Sundance
Another stray, Sundance wandered in and Mom wanted to keep him. I was already out of the house so I don't know the entire story, but he turned on Mom while she was brushing him, bruising her arm quite deeply. The SPCA came for him. 

Kelly
My mother's brother brought Kelly to us. Now that dog was, shall we say, unique looking. Again, I was married and out of the house. Kelly was a great dog and wonderful company for my mother following my father's death in 1983.

Amy
Amy was a terrier-Pomeranian mix. She had the Pom color and fur, but not the body shape. I got Amy at the local shelter when I moved to where I still live in 1981. My late grandfather, who lived next door to me, looked after her while I was at work. It wasn't long before the dog had shifted loyalties and she wasn't living with me.  

Copper Penny Lady
There's a big red "S" on my forehead. It stands for sucker. Penny was a six-year-old registered Irish Setter. I worked with a girl who was dating the fellow who owned Penny and, unfortunately, the landlord said Penny had to go. I couldn't stand the thought of her being put down, so I paid the guy $1 and took her home. What I remember most about Penny was she was either extremely stupid or very sly. Play? No. Go for a walk? No. Eat? Hell, yeah! I had Penny when my home burned in 1983. I moved in with my parents during reconstruction and when I moved out, my mother wanted to keep Penny. I reluctantly agreed because my father had just died and Mom needed something more to focus on. I only lived a mile away and was frequently at my mother's house so it wasn't like I'd never see the dog. In the end, it was a good thing, but after losing Amy and Penny to family members, I became very watchful about my dog-snatching relatives. 

Rex
Rex was a tall Beagle with perfect, and I do mean perfect, tri-color markings. His former owner had a shock collar on him and in Ron's opinion, it was being misused. After witnessing a particularly nasty episode, the spousal unit simply opened the truck door and offered the dog a ride home. The dog accepted.  Rex wasn't with us long. One day while I was at work, he sat on the patio staring east. Then Ron said he stood and stretched, and trotted down the driveway never to be seen again, and we did search for him across many miles. We hope he found himself a good home, one with other Beagles because he wasn't fond of people. They say Beagles are good dogs but I'll never have another one. 

Nik
When I met my partner, he had a miniature poodle. He got her from someone he worked with who had a baby. Dog and baby didn't mix so Nik needed a home and like me, the spousal unit has a big red 'S' on his forehead when it comes to dogs. It wasn't difficult to understand why the new parents were afraid to keep her. She was a nasty little thing. She ate, slept, growled and snapped. She didn't like Callahan at all. We put up with her for several years before she had a seizure, probably self-induced, and had to be put down. We agree we're a no Poodle household now.