This week, we’re talking about our childhood pets…
Oh where to start.
We were big dog people. My mom loved cats, but my father didn’t. Fortunately, we all agreed on dogs.
Mom and Dad got a dog after they were first married. Chip was a dalmatian, complete with one brown eye and one blue eye and seeings how my Dad ran with the fire department, it was fitting that we would have a dalmatian.
Somewhere along the way, by the time I was born, Chip was nicknamed Nude. Odd, I know, but this is MY family. Would you expect any less from me?
One day I asked why they called him Nude (because this nickname was given to him before I was born) and she told me that they once went to a party at a friend of theirs at the time and the wife’s nickname for her husband was Nude, (ok, so there are weirder families out there other than mine) and they came home and it stuck.
I’m still not quite understanding how this all happened, but I don’t question the things that my family comes up with… keep in mind that my parents also tried to figure out if my father looked like he had an extra appendage or was a suicide bomber when my father had to wear a 24 hour heart monitor… (See, I get it from somewhere!)
But Chip was a great dog. According to my parents, when I was born, he knocked me over once and that was the end of that. I never knew life without a dog.
As Chip started to near the age that we knew he wouldn’t be around a lot longer, we got another dalmatian. I remember dad looking in the paper for them and finally finding a breeder about 2 hours from here. He loaded my brother and I up in the car and a few hours later, we were the proud owner of Sam. (Coincidence that my daughter is named Sam? Well, kinda.)
They say dogs take on the personalities of their owners. Chip had my mom and brother’s personality… Sam had Dad and my personalities.
Sam was spunky. Sam chewed. And at night, when he heard the cows across the way, Sam would sing. And wake us all up.
Sam liked to run, so it was good that we lived on 10 acres here in Virginia. Sam knew not to go off our property and dare the person or animal who set foot on our property. We had a lot of fun with Sam, Dad and I. Mom just wasn’t sure.
And Chip? Well, I can only imagine that Chip thought Sam was an annoying little thing.
As Chip got older, he didn’t play much. And we knew that his time was coming.
Here is where I feel like the worst dog owner in the world.
Chip had a favorite spot to lay, like all dogs do. But Chip spent the majority of his day laying in front of the fire place.
It was summer time, and of course, my brother and I spent all day in front of the TV, in the same room as the fire place. When my parents got home from work, they were getting dinner ready and of course, John and I were still glued to the TV.
My father came down and casually mentioned that Chip had passed away.
WHAT? We started flipping out. That’s when he told us that Chip had been dead for most of the day and we never noticed. Dad said his body was cold when he found him. The questions from my mother started coming… “didn’t you realize that he never moved?”
Well, no. Chip was old. He didn’t move around alot and he ALWAYS laid there in front of the fire place.
“didn’t it dawn on you that he didn’t go out all day?”
Well, no. Chip went out in the morning before she went to work and it wasn’t uncommon for him not to go out again until she got home.
And I felt like crap.
We buried him up above the house.
And we still had Sam.
When Dad got his orders to move to Philadelphia, we knew there was no way that we could put Sam in an apartment. So we started looking for a new home. Dad wanted to sell him for $100. Many people came to look at him and honestly, twice Sam found a new home.
And twice people brought him back in a day or two.
I mentioned Sam was spunky. Apparently, a little too spunky for the new owner’s liking.
So we put an ad in the paper again. While dad was gone, and we were at school, a couple came by and spent three hours at our house with Sam. They took him out in the yard and went walking on the property. Sam would run through the creek and then jump up on them, and they didn’t mind.
After three hours, Mom GAVE him to them… for free. And boy did she hear it from my father.
But mom was firm. “Those people spent all that time with Sam and we tried to sell him twice and they brought him back. Those people are who Sam belongs with!”
And they never brought Sam back but we kept in touch for a little while and the last we heard, Sam was very happy in his new home.
When we got to Philly and got settled, we got a cocker spaniel. No offense to those of you who like little dogs, but I like real dogs…. big dogs. Sandy was a nice dog but she was boring… and she peed on the floor every time she got excited.
And Sandy carried me through the time that I moved out of mom and dad’s house.
So, dogs have always been a part of my life. And I hope that one day, my kids will look back fondly on Rhoda… and one day, when we have a little bit more room, we’ll have another “real” dog. Because I love them.
I did happen to find pictures of Sam and Chip. They aren’t the best, and well, for you’re amusement, you can see me if my glory days…lol
This is my brother, Chip, Sam and I…this was the day that we brought Sam home…. Chip looks thrilled doesn’t he?
(You can stop laughing now…. thank you….)
For more trips down memory lane, visit Moms Blogging.
I am thankful for the animals that I’ve had in my life, both while living at home with my parents and on my own. It’s been great to see the relationship form between my son and Rhoda and the protectiveness that Rhoda has over the kids.
Until next time…
Heather
