Dog Days of Summer

Dog Days of Summer

Even though the official “Dog Days of Summer” are behind us, there’s never a bad time to show off our dogs. Happy International Dog Day! The ones whose sole job is to love and protect us. Just as the famous quote says, “A house is never lonely where a loving dog waits.”  Seeing how dogs have become some of my favorite people over the last couple decades, I thought it was time to reintroduce my dogs to you. 

  Growing up I wasn’t much of a dog person. I liked dogs and we always had a dog but I don’t remember ever truly bonding with a dog until my family got Winchester, our beloved yellow lab. I often think about the bonds I’ve created with all of my dogs, past and present, and it makes me sad to think about what I missed out on. I think every child needs to grow up with a pet. Something that is theirs to hold onto, confide in and receive unconditional love from. 

Having a pet teaches you a lot of things. Not only how to love something but how to care for something other than yourself. It teaches compassion, patience, some kind of structure and at least a little bit of discipline. Moral of the story, get yourself or your kid a dog or a cat. Gifting them a life that can love them back will be the greatest gift of all time.

 Our English Labrador Winchester was the first dog we’d had as a family. Seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from Clifton. Of course I was only going to “look” at him. I hadn’t really planned on getting a dog but Scott insisted we go see him in person. Well, just like going to “look” at a new car, you know how that turned out. We spent a few days choosing his name and finally settled on Winchester, after the rifle, but a hunting dog he was not.

Winnie changed our lives for the better and the memories we had with him will last us a lifetime. When he was about ten months old, Lebanon was having a Pooch Parade around Halloween. At the last minute I pulled one of Jacob’s old Halloween costumes from the closet, put it on Winnie and off we went. One year Jacob dressed up as a king. To this day I have no idea where the king hat came from. Gramma Grace made him a purple satin robe with gold trim to go with the crown and that’s what I put on Sir Winchester that day. He was so handsome and the robe fit over his shoulders just perfect. I sewed buttons inside the hat and used ponytail holders to wrap around the buttons and onto his ears. He was so scared in that robe that he kept laying down. I think that was the secret to his success. He won first place that year and made it into “The Western Star” newspaper. The following year they used those same pictures of him up on that stage laying down to advertise the parade. We got the biggest kick out of that and I still have the newspaper clipping hanging up.

The following year I had to up my game. I dressed him as a Hawaiian girl complete with a coconut bra, grass skirt and leis. I even brought a boom box to play “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. That year he won first place again and the People’s Choice award. When the third year rolled around it was a flop. He was an Indian and his wig would not stay on. His success, and mine, had ran its course. We had him for just eight years when he passed away. Losing him was one of the worst times of our lives. It was unexpected and quick. None of us had never experienced a loss like that and it seemed as if we’d never get over it. But as they say, time heals almost all wounds. That loss gave me a true understanding of what real heartbreak felt like. The good memories will always outweigh the bad. As they say, “If the love weren’t so great, the loss wouldn’t be so bad.” I hope to always choose the love a pet can give over the possibility of a loss I’ll have to endure. 

 When we bought the farm in 2018 we were gifted Levi by some wonderful people. At the time, Levi, was a nine month old Australian Shepherd. He was the cutest puppy ever. If you’ve ever had an Aussie you know they can be a bit different. They want a job to do. They’re kind of like the police; serve and protect. No matter what that family tried to do for him it just wasn’t working. This dog could not be worn out. He was full of life and always seemed to be in protection mode. He and Winnie never really got along. He was an Alpha and it didn’t take long for us to realize how he could’ve given his previous family a run for their money. He needed a job to do and we were able to give him what he needed. He’s been our security system for seven years now. Delivery drivers are beginning to understand why they should keep their doors shut as they’re barreling down the driveway. Levi is a story in himself but we’re happy to have him. 

 

The year after Winnie passed away, Jake decided we needed a Great Pyrenees to work alongside Levi. He found a man in Indiana and traded him 21 bales of hay for Sarge. The street value for the hay was around $125 at the time. When Jake and Jack went to pick the puppy out they asked the man for the largest male he had. So on Veterans Day 2019 they brought it home. I decided that a bad ass dog needed a strong military name since it was Veteran’s Day. Jake’s best friend Kyle suggested Sarge, and we all agreed. Of course if you know the story you’ll know that Sarge came to us as a “male” but a couple weeks later it was discovered she was actually in fact not a male. The boys just trusted the man that picked it out and no one bothered looking and no one noticed she squatted to pee. I told everyone that in this day and age, it was clear that she could be whatever she wanted to be. That was the first of many times we got the sex of an animal wrong. It was set though, we were not changing her name, Sarge was it, male or female. She continues to prove to us every day that just because she’s a female don’t ever underestimate her ability to do anything. She’s very friendly, smiles from ear to ear, loves car rides, gator rides, stays completely away from the cattle/donkeys and barks from sunset to sunrise every single day, keeping coyotes at bay. She’s also a roamer, kills raccoons and other such on a regular basis, brings home bones and other treasures she finds for the other dogs, does not listen very well and will lay in the driveway and make you drive around her. Thankfully her good traits outweighs her bad. She is hands down the sweetest dog ever. 

 Another year passed by before my heart was ready to find another yellow dog. I was searching high and low for a yellow lab mixed puppy with wirey hair. I fell in love with so many yellow terrier mixed dogs month after month. At that time buying a used dog was seriously as competitive as trying to buy a house. I’d submitted application after application and never got the dogs I’d wanted. And they were all around $400 to adopt. I couldn’t believe that a gently used dog was $400! So the day I found a brand new dog for $650 was like winning the lottery! He was about 200 miles away in Amish country. He was the cutest wirey haired labradoodle I’d ever laid eyes on! He had green eyes and a sable colored nose like Winnie but with crazy hair! I was in love!! We named him Henry after the Henry rifle, to keep with tradition. Now with the doodle mix comes a bit of a spaz. If you’ve ever seen, “Fifty First Dates”, that’s what it’s like to live with Henry. He’s super affectionate, wants to be near you every second, can’t stay outside without me and barks 100 times a day at the people who live with us. Like he’s never seen Scott or Jack in his entire life. I think I know why he was only $650, but I’ll keep him forever.

 Then came Willow the following year. She was Scott’s idea even though he has a really hard time remembering that. He knew I always wanted a Frenchie but there was no way I was paying crazy money for one. My dear friends mother had a litter and out of nine there were a few left. So after a little trading of commodities, (Jake taught me well), I had myself a fourth dog. Two inside and two outside. Frenchies can be a lot to handle. Willow is as cute as can be but is a horrible listener and very stubborn. She has selective hearing, thinks she calls the shots, (which most of the time she does) and believes she’s a lot bigger than she is. She has what we refer to as “little man syndrome”. I’ve seen her square off with Sarge and I’ve had to remind her that her bark is bigger than her bite. She bullies the cats, drives Jack insane and Jake thinks she’s ugly. Scott has wanted to give her away more times than I can count but she truly is Henry’s best friend. They have been like Frick and Frack since day one. I will probably always want to have a Frenchie because of their absolute cuteness, but they’re a little different to say the least. 

  I was absolutely content with the four dogs I had. Nothing and I mean nothing made me even consider having another dog. So when Jake called on NYE Eve of this past December and said that a lady in Morning Sun needed to rehome a ten month old Aussie, Scott and I both said, “No”. And now I’ll introduce you to Melvin. 

Jake and Emily picked up the red tricolored Aussie puppy that very day because the lady wanted him gone asap and Jake knew good ole Katie could not turn down a dog. Jake’s heart is a lot like mine and he didn’t want the dog to be in a home that didn’t want him. When they picked him up, his owner basically tossed Jake the leash and some paperwork and said, “Adiòs”.  No explanation on anything. Jake figured he’d be fine with Levi and Sarge as an outside dog. When they brought him home he was named Mercy. He was scared to death of everyone and ferociously growled at all the other dogs. I tried to love on him and it broke my heart at how terrified he was. I couldn’t fathom what this puppy could have done that would have made his owners discard him like trash. We continued to slowly work with him on adjusting to our home and not being so scared. After about a week he was a little better. He was able to get along with Henry and Willow but to this day he still isn’t sure about Jack. Whoever was mean to him must’ve resembled Jack because seven months in we’re still trying to get him to warm up to him. We wanted to change his name but keep it somewhat similar to Mercy. I kept calling him Merv and Scott kept calling him Melvin. We finally settled on Melvin. I remember telling my mom about changing his name to Melvin and I’ll never forget what she said. “Oh, you named him after your grandpa?” I’m like, “I don’t have a grandpa named…..”. Oh crap, I did in fact have a grandpa named Melvin. Unfortunately he was such an insignificant grandfather that I didn’t even remember that. He had left my Gramma for a younger woman when my Dad was in kindergarten and we rarely ever saw him. I didn’t mind keeping the name Melvin for the dog, it’s kinda nice to yell out. I was just thankful he hadn’t ran off with a waitress yet. 

  All this to say that I do not want another dog. Five is more than enough, they all get along pretty well for the most part. Melvin has become the sweetest, most loving dog in the world. He listens very well, loves his crate, very seldom chases the cattle and loves to snuggle. It’s also safe to say that he’s more of an inside dog than an outside one. He captured my heart and once that happens, there’s no turning back. I didn’t need him but it’s clear that he needed me. Dogs are simply worth their weight in gold. They are the sunshine through the clouds, the light at the end of the tunnel. They are some of the best therapists. They’re not so good for legal advice and they can’t help pay the bills but they can ease anxiety, help cure depression, keep secrets, offer a listening ear and a wagging tail. Dogs can give us more than any person possibly can. 

 So, now that I showed you mine, you show me yours. And I’m talking about your dogs. Let’s post all the best dog photos! On your mark, get set, GO!

❤️Katie