01/30/2023 – J-Dub's Grin and Bear It

Linda writes “Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th 2023, is “canine.” Use the word “canine” any way you’d like. Enjoy!” Dawn gives the word of the day & it’s an excellent one. Visit Dawn’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already. HERE are the rules & ping back.

Dogs truly are humans’ best friends IMO. My FB bio is that I’m a crazy dog lady who likes to read, write, & listen to music. I probably should take crazy off the list. I always said it’s ok because I’m saying crazy about myself. But truth be told, calling yourself crazy, even in jest, is not ok.

We’ve loved lots of dogs over the years & as I stroll down memory lane, I will name them all.

Muggsy, the Mutt, was my first. I barely remember him but once when mom dropped an egg, while making breakfast, she called him over to lick it up before mopping the kitchen floor. This might be a flashbulb memory but I swear it happened. I hear his nails clicking on the linoleum floor along with the slurping sounds.

Next was Queenie, a temperamental fox terrier. Who was already old when our families blended. She wasn’t fond of kids & set in her ways. When she passed away, we got Midnight, a jet black, border collie, chow mix.

We got him at a softball game. A person was in the parking lot giving away puppies to good home. We begged for him & mom finally agreed. Dad took more convincing. We couldn’t decide what to call him so each of us put a name on a slip of paper, dropped in a hat then drew. I had written Fluffy & was devastated when the slip with Midnight came out of the hat instead. My sister picked the name because he was jet black & it fit him well. My brother, Jim & I would sing song his name “Midnight come here boy”. He’d run right over every time. Such a sweet baby despite the chow influence. Though I don’t believe a breed is “bad” inherently. Bad owners cause bad doggies.

After Midnight, there was Suggie, a chihuahua. Originally my sister’s dog. She was working long hours and lil Suggie was eating her furniture. Leaving her crated all day every day wasn’t ideal. We took her in to give her the much needed attention she craved. Suggie came to us fully trained. She would sit, roll over, and stay like a champ. She barked her head off at the mailman. Feisty & protective.

Then I moved out & got married. B’s aunt & uncle gifted us a pure bred collie, like Lassie. We named him Zachary. Two years later, from the same mother dog, we bought my brother, Paul a collie as a surprise birthday gift. Never do that! The dog was named Bandit. After Smokey and … B & I got him back when things didn’t quite work out. But the two collies, Z & B did not get along to the point of blood drawn. We placed an ad in the paper, old school, free to good home. Two families showed up at about the same time with only Bandit up for grabs. The little boy whose parents were 5 minutes behind the first person cried, “he’s just like prince momma, can we take him home?” I cried too, of course I did. B & I chatted real quick, we also worked longs hours with extensive commutes & this little boy would love Zachary & give him more time & attention than we could. Yep, both dogs went to good homes. That was such a lonely night. Felt good but sad simultaneously.

We were without a dog for a bit. Now we have Buddy & Spot, who are red heeler/lab mixes, littermates. They turned 12 or 13 in April. I always forget & need a FB memory to remind me how old they are. I’ve gone on so long, that I will stop for today. I might write the story of Buddy & Spot another day.

Until then, happy Monday. Hope you have a wonderful day.

As always, more to come.