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Joseff -> RE: Extraordinary Animals (5/23/2009 11:19:23 PM)
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In early summer, way back in '67 or '68, my mother took my brother and I off the ridge to the laundramat. A little girl there gave us a puppy, and we took him home. He was a spaniel mix with black and white long curly hair. We named him Fuzzy. OK, I was like 4 years old. Fuzzy grew up with us, helped raise us actually. He was afraid of nothing, would fight any other dog, kill any snake, and once treed a lizard for 3 days. He saw it go up that tree, and didn't see it come down, so it had to be up there somewhere.
We taught him to give his paw, to catch food out of the air, and to play tug of war. He would grab a rope and pull untill his teeth bled. His favorite game was to grab a ball or something and run, with all of kids chasing him. I finally caught him when I was 14 or so, he was confused by that, but still wagged his tail at me. I have seen him tossing a bone in the air and trying to catch it. He was a very smart dog, he would look where you pointed, not at your finger.
My brother and I were riding our bikes one day, and of course he followed, there was no way to keep him from following. We went a way we didn't usually go, and by a big farm, my brother was attacked by 3 huge German shepherds. Those dogs were a local menace, and took my brother off his tenspeed. Fuzzy, no more than half the weight of the smallest one, dived right into their midst. He managed to get them all chasing him, and ducked under an electric fence. I have no doubt that he saved my brother's life that day.
I have a childhood full of stories about that dog, he lived for 17 years. I still miss him, almost 30 years later.
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