I'll start with Snoopy, a Black Lab/German Shepherd mix. He was born April 1985 in the Converse/San Antonio, Texas area. He was friends with Gizzy, Tigger and Bandit. He was a well-traveled dog, visiting all the places the cats ventured. Snoopy, as I am sure all can figure, was named after Snoopy in the Peanuts cartoon.
Snoopy loved fast food joints and railroads. Snoopy never barked going through the drive-thru of any restaurant, until... one time the Long John Silvers drive-thru in Garland, TX 'forgot' his fish sandwich. I don't know how he knew, but apparently he knew! He almost went across me, straight out the truck window, at the poor employee who handed me the bag. I always check the bag, but I hadn't got to it yet. After getting him back in 'his' seat, I checked the bag. I told the employee they had forgotten his sandwich. We all laughed, as it had seemed he knew... and he was not leaving without his sandwich!
Snoopy's fascination with trains started as something to do while waiting for the trains to go by one day while waiting, first in line, at a railroad track. Innocently, the train was pointed out to him and he was told 'train, train'. He soon learned the word 'train', getting excited just at the sound of them. Upon moving to Garland, TX, we rented a house in downtown Garland, which just happened to be diagonally across from a busy railroad track. The train would go through several times a day. Everytime it would come, it would blow it's whistle, as it intersected with several big roads - Ave A, D and the main road through downtown Garland. Snoopy use to run to the window whenever he heard the train coming, which included its 3 am run. He would sit and watch until the train had passed.
Before leaving Garland, over the Fourth of July, his organs began to fail. We knew he was on borrowed time. He got better but lost a lot of weight and became weak. He stayed in Garland for only one year, as an opportunity to get out of the city and go back to the rural areas of my dad's childhood arose. We moved all the critters one last time to live their latter years in the country. Unfortunately for Snoopy (as well as Bandit) that time was short lived. By this time, Snoopy was getting on in puppy years. He was 13 years old in people years. The move was in late August. The day after Thanksgiving of the same year Snoopy did what he never did. We had not yet erected a fence for him. He was good though; he did not stray away. His eyes were failing him; so, he stayed nearby. This night was different. He wandered off. Our new neighbors helped us look for him, a black dog at night in an area with no lights. We all called to him. No response. Then, we heard it. We all heard it. The sound was unmistakable. Gunshot. A feeling overwhelms you when you hear that sound. You know what has happened. You can only hope it missed. No chance. We came from all different directions to one spot. The man standing there claimed he was afraid of Snoopy. He thought Snoopy would attack him. The problem we all had with the situation was the man had to go in the house to get the gun; then, come back outside to shoot him. We asked him, if you were so afraid he would attack you, why didn't you just stay inside. We told him, you must have heard us calling him. The name 'Snoopy' is unmistakably a dog's name. He had no answer. Our neighbor, knowing the local area better than we did, called all the vets he knew may answer at 11pm / midnight. We were able to get him to one of these vets quickly. For the moment, he was able to save him. Due to Snoopy's already weakened condition from the previous 4th of July, his body could not handle the shock it just received. By December 5th, he could no longer fight and passed away in the wee hours of the night. Ironically, in a few hours, one of the current dogs I have was born, but that is another story (see Chico later).
Misty, Buffy and Ebony
Misty was a Husky / German Shepherd mix I had as a child. She was a black dog with a misty gray tipping, giving her a misty appearance. I had her while my dad was stationed at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho. She was a wonderful dog who use to try to follow me to school. I am mentioning her for several reasons. She was the first dog that was pretty much mine. She started off as my dad's, but she liked me. Mom liked small dogs and soon took in Buffy and Ebony. Two poodle mixes. Buffy was a creamy buff color male, and Ebony was his jet black sister. Misty's personality changed a great deal when Buffy and Ebony came to live with us. Her behavior changed toward all, except me. She began snipping and biting at people. She began to sneak out of the house more. Mom and Dad decided to find her a new home. No one would adopt her though, as we could not even show her. I was the only one who could handle her. Mom and Dad brought her to our vet, who was a retired military vet who lived off-base. He decided she had epilepsy and needed to 'be put down'. I did not agree. I tried to argue that she never turned on me. This vet responded with "it's only a matter of time". To this day, I feel he was wrong. To the reason I am including this story about these three dogs... looking back and knowing now what I didn't know then, I realize what the issues were. The vet should have recognized the symptoms, I think, of jealousy in Misty. I don't know what knowledge people had regarding dog 'psycology', if that's what you can call it, back in the early 1980s, but to me, it was obvious by 1984. The vet recommended euthanization for Misty. Mom and Dad agreed, thinking he knew best. When they got home, they changed their mind. They called the vet, but he told them it was already done. I always said he murdered my dog. I know that is strong language, but that was about 1981/2. I knew he was wrong then, and I was proven right by 1984. I saw something on TV about jealousy in dogs which described her actions to a T. The program focused on people bringing a baby into the house. I didn't see the difference between bringing a baby human or baby dogs into the house. She was acting out the jealousy she fealt. Her position in the pack was threatened causing her to try to assert her position. I didn't and don't understand how in the 2-3 years I figured it out, the vet could not have recognized the signs. He knew we had just gotten puppies.
The lesson from the above story: any changes in the pack structure, which includes you, the current pets, be it cat or dog, to include any new humans, young or old, or any new animals, will cause the current animals to change their behavior. Dogs need to reassert their position in the pack by beginning bad behaviors such as destructiveness, urination in the house, aggressiveness, etc. Cats may begin to spray, not use the litter box, aggression, etc. If you notice definite changes in your pet's or pets' personality(ies), look around to see what may have changed. They cannot express themselves about insecurities except by acting out different behaviors, even if bad. Also, health problems can also cause behavior changes. If you can not figure out any changes in the household, consult your vet about possible health issues. If you do not know how to solve the problem, consult your vet for help. If you do not feel comfortable with your vet's answer, get a second opinion. Anytime a vet recommends euthanization, get a second opinion.
Lobo
Lobo, a white German Shepherd / Wolf, 3/4 German Shepherd and 1/4 Timber Wolf. Lobo, as I am sure many are aware, means wolf. I am mentioning him because I absolutely loved him. My family had him when I was 5. We had to relinquish him when I was 8. Dad got orders to go to England. We were stationed at Beale AFB, where the Air Force forgot about us for 5 years. When they realized we were still at the same base for 5 years, they decided to send Dad overseas. The USAF sent us to RAF Lakenheath, England. Unfortunately, at that time, England had a required 6 month quarentine for all dogs coming into the country. The quarentine was so far from the base we would only be allowed to visit on the weekends... for 6 months. The other issue was his breed. England, if they knew or found out, would not allow a wolf hybrid. Period. Mom and Dad attempted to find him a new home. He went to live in the country. I cried. I am sure he didn't understand. Mom tried to write to them to see how he was faring. They never wrote back. We still wonder how he made out. I use to have dreams he would find us. When we were transferred to Mtn. Home AFB in Idaho, I use to dream he walked up our street to our house. Obviously, he is gone now. I only hope he can forgive us.
There were many, many more dogs. More than I can remember, as we always had a dog or cat.
They have made impressions on me whether they know it or now, whether I can remember their names or not, whether I can remember them or not. My not remembering them is more because of my youth than my forgetfulness. See next post.
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