Copper... a tenacious terrier mix! He is believed to be a cross between a Jack Russell terrier, a beagle and possibly have a little Red Heeler thrown in there just to mix it all up. Copper came to us as a wanderer. US Hwy 82 is a long road that stretches from Texarkana all the way into west Texas. Where this pup came from is anyone's guess. I say pup, but he was full grown when he joined the gang. It is believed he was born in 1997, as his age was estimated at about 2 years old when he came to live with us in September 1999.
When he arrived, he was a young hyper dog who loved to climb fences and take off running. At the time the fenced in yard consisted of a six foot chain link fence which he easily climbed to the top and down the other side. When the fence had been cleared, he took off like a shot out of a cannon. In these early days, I, of course, took up chase! With a US Hwy at our front door, I could not allow him to run the way he wanted to. It seems as though any of the dogs get loose and they head in the direction of that highway. If the speed limit was 20, even 35 miles an hour, that would be one thing, but, alas, the speed is 70 miles an hour. Too fast for a critter to be roaming as they wished. Back then, it was hard to keep him in the yard. He had lived on the road too long. He was up and over that fence quicker than I could get his name out of my mouth. And there I was... chasing after him. Tunnel vision. He didn't stop to look for traffic and neither did I. One thought in his head... get to the other side. One thought in my head... catch him before he gets hit. By the way, don't stop to think about you getting hit. The four lane highway has a grassy median, as most Texas highways do. No time to stop though and think the act through. As we cleared the east bound side and the grassy median, we started to run across the west bound side. The west bound side is the down side of a hill. Even if you stop to check for traffic, you would never really know if you are safe. You have to take your chances. Thankfully, nothing came before we both reached the other side. But, as luck would have it, as I reached the other side, the foot stumbles on uneven terrain and boom... flat on your tummy! Feet in the air. The whole time screaming... "COPPER!" "COME BACK!" My only thoughts... get back up on my feet and start the chase all over again. Finally, he stopped to check out something interesting... or to laugh at me. I don't know which because I had to be quite the hysterical site! I caught up to him though.
I picked him up and carried him back across that highway. Looking both ways this time.
This chase scene happened several times before the fence was changed. The changing of the fence became the recognizing factor of our house! Six foot chain link fence with another foot of non barbed wire going all the way around similar to a prison. When people came up or when we described it when giving directions, everyone would say... "Oh, yeah, I know that place. I always wondered what could be back there with a fence like that!" Well, the answer is... one of the smallest dogs we have, but the one that knows how to escape a six foot fence!
He also loves to go for rides in the truck. There is a truck stop east of town. It is often wondered if he belonged to a truck driver. He was stray for a while before coming to live with us. We ran an ad, but no one claimed him. He still loves to go for rides. He loved my dad and would go for rides with him. He became Dad's dog... sleeping right beside him, following him around. The first dog that seemed to claim Dad and be just Dad's since Dad was a kid.
A lot has changed since then. Dad passed away. Copper still misses him. When Dad's brother, who resembles Dad, comes for a visit, he jumps on the couch, lays down beside him and places his head on his lap. He doesn't get up until it's time to go. It's too bad we can't explain things to them; so, they can understand. Copper doesn't get around as well either. Long gone are the days of jumping that six foot fence. A crippling front knee joint has stopped most of his running days, as well. He's gained a lot of weight with age, his eyes are a little cloudy and his muzzle is turning white, but he still loves to see everyone come home, still loves to go for a walk or a ride.
He still makes the extra effort to follow me around when I vacuum, regardless of how much I tell him to stay out of the way and go lay down somewhere not in the path of the vacuum. I hate to get on to him when he follows me around and gets in the way; so, I am trying to just let him be. I know as time passes, one day he won't be there to follow me. I'm gonna miss that. He's real stubborn, as terriers can be, but he can be real sweet. He greets us with a shrilling trill noise at the door with all the other critters when we come home. For those of you who have seen the old Star Trek series "The Trouble with Tribbles", you know what trilling sound I mean. He sounds like that. It is sooo cute!
Hopefully, he will have many more years with us! He is approx. 12 years old now.
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