Our oldest great-granddaughter was telling one of her aunts how many grandmas she had. She gave this description of me, “You know, the grandma with all of the dogs.” At that time we had five dogs. Each dog had a distinct personality. This brought about some interesting interactions.
How did we end up with five dogs? It just happened.
We had a Weimaraner named Max in Harlingen. Our oldest son lived on the same property. One of our granddaughters had a dog named Lucy. Lucy was part English sheepdog and had long, shaggy hair. She and Max were together constantly. Before our move to Stephenville, our granddaughter asked us to consider taking Lucy with us. She said she had little time for Lucy as she was involved in many school activities. She thought Lucy would be sad being alone and would miss her pal, Max. We agreed. We could handle two dogs.
The move to Stephenville went smoothly. We got everything to Stephenville except a stock trailer and a few things. The last trip included the stock trailer filled with items from the barn, a 1946 Army jeep which Ken planned to restore, and two dogs. The back seat of the pickup was filled with “stuff,” so Max and Lucy jumped into the stock trailer. They immediately got into the front seat of the jeep ready for adventure. They bade farewell to the flat terrain and palm trees of the Rio Grande Valley. They sat up and looked in wonder at the hill country. They looked at everything in the small towns we went through. People looked at them, looked again, pointed, and laughed. The dogs seemed to enjoy the attention. If they could have, they would have waved back. They were like two children looking around. San Antonio and Austin were full of sights and sounds. Each time we stopped for walking and food, they were eager to go again. They were in no hurry to get out of the jeep when we arrived in Stephenville.
A waitress in a country café we often frequented asked if we would like to have a blue heeler puppy. We didn’t take the request seriously, but she kept asking. Eventually, we brought Buster home. He was quickly accepted by Max and Lucy. Buster’s herding instinct was so strong we had difficulty keeping him inside our fences. We had no cattle. The neighbor behind us did, and Buster was continually getting out and herding those cattle. He finally went to live where there were cattle.
Our oldest granddaughter lived with us for a short while. She had a wrinkly Sharpei puppy named Abby. Lucy’s mothering instincts took over and she began watching over Abby. She was protective of Abby as a young dog and continued to watch over the grown Abby.
Our youngest son bought Daisy*, a Catahoula. She kept digging under the fence and getting out of his yard. The solution was to bring her to the country. She wanted Lucy’s attention and was jealous of Abby. Abby was equally jealous of Daisy. The two did not get along. One day they got into a fight. I sprayed them with a water hose. They got an emphatic no with the spray of water. After I started for the water hose a few more times, they decided to get along. Daisy was the best watchdog of the group. She was always watching things around the place. When she smiled, she showed her teeth like a snarl. She was not angry. She just “smiled” and wagged her tail. That was her way of saying hello. Strangers would not get out of their cars until they were assured she was friendly.
Max eventually died of old age. We bought another Weimaraner and named her Sparkle. She was very affectionate. If we didn’t pet her, she would raise one paw and tap us on the leg. She had a short docked tail that was always wagging. We called it a twinkle tail. Because of her size, she wanted to boss the other dogs. She was a bully when she first came. She wanted all of the food and would chase the other dogs away from their bowls. I would not allow bullying. She was told an emphatic no when she was bossy. She did not like to be scolded. After she got in trouble a few times, she decided to be nice.
As she aged, Lucy was like a grand old lady and demanded respect. During hot weather, we had the groomer give her a hair cut. After her cut and a bath, she had a different look and smell. She looked like a lion cub. The other dogs would not recognize her and bark at her. When they realized it was their old friend, they looked embarrassed. It was amusing to watch.
Abby began to lose her eyesight at an early age. She eventually became totally blind. She usually stayed in the breezeway between the house and garage. Her sense of smell was acute, and she could find Ken wherever he happened to be. She would lay near him as he worked in the barn or the garden. She would even follow the lawn mower when he mowed. Rain confused her because it erased the smells she was familiar with. It was interesting to watch the other dogs become protective of her. One of them was always near her when guests were here. There were times when they seemed to be guiding her around the yard.
All of them learned to obey the rules and get along together.
*More about Daisy posted 3-25-17, “Goodbye Miss Daisy”