Pets

My dog Spike

          Pets are something that most families have at one time or another, especially if there are children in the home.  While they often create loads of work, especially for the parents, they generally are lovable and fun and often become one of the family.  But growing attached to them is especially difficult when they are ill or eventually must be put to sleep.
         My one son and his family recently faced such a problem when one day their pet cat suddenly had a heart attack and died right in front of the children.  That was even more difficult since when that happened my son was actually at the vet with their very sick dog.  But even in difficult times like this, families can learn valuable lessons concerning life and death and separation.          
          Over the years I've had a variety of pets - fish, canaries, ducks, rabbits and dogs.  But it was the dogs that held special places in our lives.          
          When I was two or three we had a small dog named Penny.  I don't even know what breed it was, but I do remember being with Penny in front of our home in Selinsgrove when it ran into the street and was killed by a car.  I don't remember much more except that the driver agreed to place the dog's body in a box and take it to be buried.  I don't remember much more at that age, but the picture of that event is still in my mind.  I regret never asking my parents more about Penny, but they are now both gone and the stories of Penny are lost forever.
          When I was in elementary school we became the owners of Frisky, a Boston Terrier.  It came from my aunt and uncle in Sunbury who raised this breed.  Frisky was a good dog.  It was trained to stay in the kitchen and it never ventured into the rest of the house.  My first memories of Frisky were when we lived in Elizabethtown with a huge lawn on the college campus.  But then we moved to Lancaster where we lived in a second floor apartment in the city.  To take Frisky out meant going down an outside set of wooden stairs which was hard for us and the dog, especially during the winter.  Eventually it became too hard to care for this loving dog and we gave it to a family that lived in the country outside of Sunbury.  Later we heard that Frisky was also killed when hit by a car. 
        Years later when we had out boys, a good friend of ours asked if we would be interested in having an older Kerry Blue Terrier which was raised by a relative.  And so Peanuts, a show dog, joined our family.  Unfortunately, Peanuts was older and raised by a bachelor and so there was considerable adjustment with our boys and their friends.  The worst situation came when Peanuts attacked a friend of my son who had done nothing but come into our home.  Fortunately he had a heavy winter coat on so the bite didn't cause any serious damage.  But it showed that Peanuts was a great guard dog who would defend our family.          
          Unfortunately, Peanuts continued to develop lumps on his body and we decided not to pay big vet bills to have these continually taken care.  We were stunned when one day my wife returned from the vet without Peanuts.  He had been put to sleep and we did not expect that.  We missed him for a long time.  Personally, I still wonder if the vet really put him to sleep or if he operated and then sold the dog to somebody who wanted a show dog such as Peanuts.          
          Our final experience with a pet came when we picked another Boston Terrier from a litter of pups at an area farm.  He was the runt of the litter.  Spike soon captured all of our hearts as well as that of many who visited us.  He was very intelligent and loving.  I still miss how he used to jump up on my lap and cuddle while I sat on my recliner.  But one problem was that he loved to show his affection by licking and we never could break him of that no matter how hard we tried.  He was well trained and obedient.  The only other problem we had came when he had to be boarded while we were away.  He apparently became a terror for the workers and they had to put him in a special cage.  I still have a hard time believing that lovable Spike could have been like this.
         Then, after living with us for many years, one day he and I were in the backyard when suddenly he no longer could figure out where he was.  He ran around the house to our front yard which he had never done before.  I got him inside and he had some sort of seizure.  We took him to the vet who told us that he couldn't cure him but he could give him something to slow him down.  But we knew that Spike wouldn't be the same that way and I very reluctantly decided to have him put to sleep.  I couldn't stay to see this happen and I never will forget the sad look that Spike gave me when I tearfully left the room while he remained on the table.  That look still haunts me today.  And years later we still miss Spike.         
          Well pets are nice, but they are a lot of work and can be costly.  So my days of owning pets - even fish - are done. Instead I'll just feed the beautiful birds in our yard and fight the nasty squirrels that invade our property. I just wish that one of my friends had a lovable Boston Terrier that I could visit and play with.