I have been watching Marley and Me tonight. This is a movie I swore I would never watch because I do not like the female lead. And, besides, the book is always better and I read the book when it came out. It was and is a truly remarkable book, and the movie is really funny. Reminds me a lot of some of the dogs I have owned over the years. No, I have never owned a dog like Marley! But, some of his antics certainly look familiar. LOL
There was Ginger I, the dog I got from Lyle Worley when I was 15. My first "real" certified pure bred dog. She was a beautiful German Shepard---good natured and protective. Ginger was my dog and I was her human. Period! The young man I had been dating at the time brought a Christmas gift and put it under the tree for me, and Ginger went and picked it up by the bow and took it back to him! We were all shocked and then bust out laughing. Ginger was my hero! Someone, who did not appreciate her protectiveness, decided to feed her cut glass in hamburger meat. And, after a horrible night of agony, Ginger was gone.
Another of the many dogs I had the privilege of owning was King. King was a chow and shepard mix. A truly remarkable dog. We aquired King when we lived in Sunnymead, California. My step dad brought him home one day and we bonded. King slept in my bed each evening, and when I wasn't looking he would beat me to bed and lay his big self in my spot and take the pillow... Mom used to tell of how he would watch out the window each day for the school bus to stop across the field and then run to the door. Once she let him out, he would bound through the waist high grass running to Richard and me. It was funny to watch him as he would jump to see over the grass to determine where we were. I loved that crazy talking dog! Yep, he could talk. When asked if he wanted to go out he would whine, " I wanna goooo peeeeeeeeeee." No, really he would!
We had a silly mixed breed when we were in Germany. Her name was Queenie, and she was anything but Queen like. She was definitely my step-dad's dog. They would go out at night: he on his bicycle, and Queenie running beside him. Bill enjoyed the pubs while stationed in Germany, and Queenie loved visiting them too. Sometime after midnight they would stumble up the stairs to our fourth floor apartment. Queenie always loved sleeping on the window ledge that was about 10 inches in width, and she would jump into the chair in front of the window to jump onto the ledge; however, on the nights she and Bill visited the pubs, she would run to jump into the chair only to hit the side of it with her nose. After several attemps, she would lie down on the floor next to the chair and pass out. Definitely an alcoholic dog...
Richard was given a small black and white terrier when he was in high school. We called her Tiny. Tiny became Mom's dog. She was always where ever Mom was. They did everything together when Mom was home: watching tv, listening to the radio, cleaning house, washing clothes, hanging the clothes on the line to dry, and eating onion and mustard sandwiches. On yes, as gross as they sound, that is what they ate! I was never able to understand how, but, yep,they did!!!!
Tiny had one puppy that lived. She looked nothing like Tiny. Queenie II was a blond dog, much larger than Tiny, but every bit as goofy. My husband and I took Queenie II and raised her with our oldest daughter. Queenie was Claudette's little protectorate. Once when Claudette was just a toddler, she heard her daddy's car coming ( he drove a Goliath, a small, loud German made car) and she started toward the street. Queenie ran to her and stood in front of her to keep her back from the street. Amazing the intelligence of some animals.
Rex adopted us when John was just a baby. He, Rex, was a beautiful collie that decided he loved the noise and laughter from the Haynes house more than he loved his own house, so he would come hang out every day. As soon as his owners would let him out in the morning, he made a bee line for our front door. Rex stayed with us all day and would have to be coaxed home with food each evening. One day, his owners said, "Why don't you just keep him? He loves ya'al and seems happy to be with you, so if you want him, he's yours." First time I was ever adopted by an animal!
Pepe Lapeu Hudson Haynes came into our lives in the spring of '78. He was a Cockapoo who did not like the idea of being some nice, pampered pet. He wanted the rough and tumble life of a ghetto dog. LOL I would take him to be groomed and he would come home and hide under the bed and refuse to go out. He hated the blue bows and toe nail polish! Pepe loved to run and play with the boys... he could be seen following the bicycle, or running interference in a street football game. Where ever the kids were playing, Pepe was right in the middle of it. When Pepe was about 2 years old, a car followed him into the ditch on the side of the road and killed him. A car load of teens thought it was "cute" to run over the little guy in front of the kids he loved to play with.
After Pepe, John came home with a black mixed breed we named Shadow. Now, Shadow was quite a dog. He was John's dog and would follow Johnny anywhere. They walked hogs together; they walked steer together; they played sandlot football together; they annoyed other people together... You name it: John and Shadow did it together. Shadow left this world in the fall. He sat near the north end of the yard facing the wind with John at his back.
Then we had Tigger, Jason's pit bull: by far the sweetest dog we ever owned. Now, to set the record straight, Tigger hated cats and would chase them up the tree--literally, he would climb the tree about four feet before falling, but he would certainly try to get them in the tree. He did, however, love my poodles. Silver, the male, and Adrian, the pup, were his favorites. Adrian could climb all over his head---in and out of his mouth--and he would never become angry or frustrated. He was gentle with Booger and David, who were both quite young at the time. Truly, a remarkable dog---one that did not live up to the reputation of the breed. He was stolen one night and, as we found out later, taken to fight another pit. He did not win...
Casper, David's American bull dog, was so named because he was solid white, except for one small dark marking. Casper loved David and came into his life at a time when David was going through a dark and painful time. A friendly and loving dog who brought much joy. He, too, was later stolen and taken to fight. He did not win either... Why do people do this with dogs???
Zeus is the newest member to add to this list. He is a two year old golden retriever: Ninety four pounds of love. Zeus's former owner was being deployed to Iraq and Zeus needed a home. I fell in love with him and brought him home to share life with me and Babi, my nearly blind Zhi Tzu. Zeus loves to play and sit at my feet. In fact he is laying at my feet while I type this. He sleeps on his large doggy pillow next to my bed and keeps me company throughout the night. One evening a few weeks ago, just before school was out, I flung myself across the bed and had a huge melt down. I cried and wailed: my retirement was heavy on my mind and the break up was just too much on this particular night. I needed a hug! I needed someone to talk to... and there was Zeus. This crazy lovable dog kept pushing his head under my hand trying to get me to pet him. Each time I pulled my hand away, he would push his head back under my hand. Finally, I just left my hand on his head... I had him---my friend, my companion, and all would be well. Zeus, you are nothing like the Marley in the movie tonight because you are so well behaved...
lol. As I was thinking that earlier, I found a bookmark in his mouth. No ordinary bookmark! This bookmark had been given to me by my grand daughter a couple years ago and was a fuzzy, dog shaped bookmark. Tonight, it is in pieces next to Zeus... Marley????
No comments:
Post a Comment