I have had a dog (or two) most of my my life.
- My first was a Pekinese when I was about 3. He bit me and we had to get rid of him. I didn't mind getting bit that much, but my parents thought it would be best.
- I bought my own dog from the pound with money I had saved from birthdays and grandparent gifts when I was 5. I named her Mitzi. After about a week I was told by my grandfather that she had been poisoned by meat thrown over the back fence.
- When I was 6, my Dad brought home a half-husky / half-wolf puppy. I don't know what the rest of the family thought, but as far as I was concerned, Kate was my dog. She was huge and gentle and protective and smart and loving. She died of distemper when I was 7.
- When I was 8, we got a little [Jack Russell Terrier?]. Taffy ate the furniture…and our toys…and our beds…and had to be given up at the pound.
- Pixie was a Sheltie mix we got when I was 9. Pixie slept in my bed till I went away to college 9 years later. She lived to a ripe old age.
- I found Kyri, a German Shepherd mix as a puppy just after I got married at 23. She lived 13 years.
- When I was 32, my wife gave me a Newfoundland puppy, Koloa. Kola had a heart condition and only lived 4 ½ years. He was the best dog I could imagine. I grieved for a long time when he died.
- In late March, 2005, I got an 11 month old Newf from a rescue. He was wonderful, but by the end of the day, my eyes had swollen shut from an allergic reaction and we knew we couldn't keep him. I wanted to get shots or whatever it took to be able to get him back, but it just wasn't happening.
- Then, July 31, 2005, I got Jack. Jack is a Golden Doodle - big and black. He doesn't shed and I am not allergic to him! He has poodle smarts and retriever loyalty.
Kyri was the first dog I worked on really training. I did a lot of training with Koloa. Jack is now 18 months old is becoming a super-trained dog. I will write about training in another post soon.
Everybody needs their own "Spot".
