I have had dogs all my life. When I was a kid, we had all kinds - Labs, Chows, German Shephards and the all time favorite, All American Dogs. Of course, back then they would run free. We never used a leash on them, it was unheard of. Neighbors always complained about them getting into their trash, etc. And hardly ever did we keep them inside, unless it was an extremely cold winter, then they might get to come in.
Their food intake was a great variety. I don't remember Dad ever going out and buying dog food or dog treats. Our dogs were fed from the table scraps. So they never had to worry about eating the same every day - a variety made in heaven, with love of course.
Most dogs today live in - like the Bucky Covington song - A Different World. They get special food, special treats, live indoors with air conditioning and heat - so you would think they wouldn't have a care in the world. Just eat, sleep, potty and play. If they only knew how their ancestors lived, I am sure they would be a little more appreciative.
I know over the years when I lived at home, we hunted a lot. Dad and us boys would go out hunting for squirrels and rabbits. My dad was a no holes barred, plain spoken kind of guy. While hunting one afternoon, we happened upon a den of wild puppies - with no mother in sight. Now Dad wasn't about to leave these pups out there in the wild to defend themselves but he also knew he could not take them home because we already had plenty there. So, he did - in his mind - the only humane thing to do.....he took them each one and slapped them up against a tree - to put them out of the misery they were sure to encounter if left there alone. Needless to say, this was not something a young boy needed to witness, but, then again, I guess Dad felt he was doing the right thing, so that was that.
But, getting back to the story of dogs, over the years I have had to put dogs down when it seems they were at death's door - but I did it the way most would do today, take them to the vet and let them charge you 100 bucks or so and do it for you.
The last one I put down was our dog Charlie - a little black toy poodle we had had since Florida. He used to go walking with me here in Cary about every day but we found out that he had anal cancer and I had to go through that process once again. It is a heartbreaking thing for a person to have to do. Because that little dog depends on you for everything in their lives - and it is so sad when you look into their eyes right before the vet sends him to dog heaven and realizing your little friend will not be able to walk with you anymore. This will indeed make a grown man cry.
We have a Lab now - a pretty big dog named Dilly, actually, it is my daughter Crystal's dog but of course I end up taking care of it most of the time. She is a lovable dog but hard to understand. She will growl at my wife but not at me - unless I am playing with her. She hates motorcycles and when I walk her, I never know how she will react to other dogs, so I kind of have to keep my distance.
Living in a complex where you have to pick up their mess - of course, reverting back to my childhood, this would have been unheard of - I carry the little bags with me everywhere. There have been times when I am trying to gather up her droppings and she sees another dog and will take off, just about dragging me down. Thank goodness for a strong leash, but sometimes I wonder if I want get literally dragged down the road one of these times. I wonder why, at times when she gets through with her business, she keeps kicking and digging the grass. I know she is probably trying to cover her stuff up but lordy, she will walk 30 feet or more and still scratching the grass. Go figure.
One more thing - dogs are never satisfied with the room they have. In Florida, we had a large fenced in backyard - all kind of room for our dog to roam in, but no, that wasn't big enough. She was always digging out. So, finally I got one of those so called electric fences and that did pretty good. Until I would forget to turn it on.
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