Sidetracked Charley

BoBear in Thicke's chair My father was famous for declaring, "No more dogs in this family." That never happened. We always had dogs. Dad at one time raised and trained award winning field champions: Irish Setters and Beagles. As an adult I understand the pain of losing a dog and having to find its replacement in the family, and my father's momentary desire to never do it again. And I did it once. Briefly. I worked for an international construction company who transferred me three times in one year. Finding apartments who would take pets was not easy so I tried it without a cat or dog. I don't do well without fur kids. I like them better than people. And I usually have multiples. The last two years is the first time I have had only one of each. Thicke has made it totally clear he does not want another cat in the house. And he works hard at his role of sole feline. Thicke posing in the sink And it has been three years with only one dog. After Mardi G...

Mardi Gras Adieu  Mardi Gras never thought of herself as a dog let alone a poodle. When she first came into my life 16, almost 17 years ago, I had Mariah, an alpha German Shepherd. She immediately appointed herself boss. And after my head injury, even my boss. She raised Magique, the labradoodle, and trained her to my unspoken specifications. After all, Mariah had trained her before her departure. Together Mardi and Magique became my photography dogs. They hopped joyfully in jeeps or trucks. They knew not to chase and to stand quietly when I stopped on a walk and raised my camera. They ran through the woods but always returned when called. Four years ago Mardi seemed to lose it. Episodes of not coming when called or seemingly getting lost on walks signaled a liver dysfunction. Our vet prescribed vitamin e and milk thistle. She immediately responded and for the remaining years of her long life became the dog she had been. But still there were occasional bouts of d...

Mardi and Magique striking a pose The differences in their ages never seemed that large. Magique was a very smart puppy and Mariah was alive then. She had trained Mardi with my help and the two of them trained Magique. I trained both to be photographer dogs. The obeyed off leash and never chased the subject of a photo. We went everywhere together until age began to take a toll on Mardi Gras. She was fifteen when she decided she would not jump in the pickup. Nor would she be assisted. I was ready with a whole host of solutions like ramps. In the end I had to take the Corolla if we wanted Mardi to go. Sad for a dog which had more Rubicon off road miles then some humans. Mardi Gras When she turned 15 and the joint outings became more difficult. She would get lost and disoriented. Magique virtually trained herself to find and retrieve her older buddy. I didn't realize how good Magique had gotten at that until on a neighborhood walk Mardi vanished and when I asked Magique t...