Dogs - S is for Sheba on the Yellow Line

Sheba.  Dear Sweet Sheebie. There is something special about all the dogs in my life but Sheba was one of the sweetest.  We had been dogless for six months after putting our Sinker and Perky to sleep at the same time.  We had a new baby girl in our family but our 5 year old son had just lost his two pets and we needed to find one to fill that spot. Off to the dog pound.  

Dogs - R is for Rusty and Rex - Black Dobermans

Rusty and Rex.  Black Dobermans.  I have a special love reserved for Dobermans.  I especially love red ones and Rusty was the only black one we had.  Rusty was beautiful.  He had a beautiful, shiny black coat and was a lot larger than any of the Dobermans we had.  We rescued Rusty from an abusive situation and brought him home.  At the time, we were living on a large acreage and he loved his new found freedom.  My children were quite young and they loved to romp and run with him.  As all Dobies, he was a great guard dog, loyal to the core.  There was never anything to be concerned about when he was babysitting the kids. 

Dogs - Q is for Quincy

Normally, I don't like poodles.  Well, it's not that I don't like them -- I wouldn't choose to have one.  When I met my husband he had a toy black poodle.  It doesn't take me very long to fall in love with a dog and, as suspected, I fell in love with Quincy, our little black poodle. 

We were planning a cross country move and it was not possible to take her with us.  We gave her to my sister and I asked her to tell me what she remembers about Quincy and this is what she shared:

Dogs - P is for Perky

Lady Perkins.  Perky.  Perky was my first dog as an adult.  I always wanted a Collie, having grown up watching Lassie on television.  A Collie would not fit into my lifestyle as a single young woman, living in an apartment in the city.  But....a Shetland Sheepdog would!  Beautiful and gentle.  Driving her home from the pet store, she snuggled into my lap and it was instant love.

Dogs - O is for Old Fart and Other Cats That Like Baths

Old Fart.  I know he had another name but I can't remember it.  This cat was born old.  He was so laid back and gentle that nothing disturbed him.  He was pitch black and as beautiful as his calm nature.

When I vacuumed the house, he wouldn't move so I would have to push him out of the way with the vacuum and he never even flinched.  If you picked him up to hold him, he would stay there until you moved him.  

When he came in from outside one day, he reeked something awful and I told the kids we would have to bathe him.  Now, I know you have seen the hilarious stories describing what it is like to bathe a cat.  We certainly expected this from Old Fart so I wore gloves in anticipation of getting scratched.  In the bathtub, Old Fart was sitting up as I soaped him and then rinsed him off.   I was almost finished when he just fell over and was submerged under water.  My son yelled, "Mom, you killed him!"  I thought I had, but he had just FALLEN ASLEEP!

He was only a year old when I was driving out of our property and saw him lying on the side of road.  He had been hit by a car and we certainly mourned the loss of this precious, unusual kitty.

TONY

Tony.  Antonio.  My favorite cat.  Tony was such a lover.  He just wanted to sit on your lap and be cuddled.  He loved all his dog siblings and played with them endlessly.  He and Louie would play tag outside and watching it was sheer entertainment.  When we moved from the country to the city, he became very ill.  We suspected that he had somehow been poisoned.  Remember how Mercedez mourned his death for two weeks in M is for Mercedez?  Mercedez and I cried together.

TOMMY

Rochelle, my daughter, lived across the street from the S.P.C.A. and on weekends she volunteered to walk the dogs.  She fell in love with and adopted Zack, who you will hear about later.  Everyday she noticed this huge orange cat that no one wanted to adopt.  He was only a year old but weighed about 25 pounds.  He needed exercise and a diet and, you guessed it, went home with Rochelle.

When Rochelle moved to California and later to the Arctic Circle, Tommy and the rest of her brood would travel with her.  They would drive 24 hours in a stretch and Tommy would sleep the entire trip, not even asking to get out.  He is as calm as Old Fart.  I guess our cats enjoy living with all these dogs!

I am participating in this year's A to Z Challenge 2014 and am sharing 26 dogs stories - one for each letter of the alphabet. 

A is for All the Dogs               B is for Babe                             C is for Charlie
D is for Dyeing Hair                E is for Emergency                   F is for Flying Snake and Flying Dogs
G is for Galloping down the road                                              H is for Hiding behind the tree
I is for The Intimidator                                                              J i for Just Dream Big
K is for Babe is Killed
L is for Louie Vuitton
M is for MercedeZ 
N is for New Addition Chiweenie

Related articles

• Cat Returned To Shelter Because It Farts All The Time
• Smelly Cat Finds a Home

Dogs - N is for New Addition Chiweenie

Lola.  Lola is definitely in a category by herself.  Remember Lily the Intimidator?  Lily is Lola's mom.    When Miniature Dachshunds and Chihuahuas mate, the offspring are called Chiweenies.     Apparently the worst characteristics of both breeds come out in the offspring.

Dogs - M is for MercedeZ

Mercedez, Sades, Sader Bader, and most affectionately, Mama's Girl.  When my daughter Rochelle was 14, I brought home a new puppy, Velma.  Velma and her siblings had been dropped off at the dog pound when they were only two weeks old. They were far too young to be away from their mom, and when I saw her, it was instant love.  She is half Black Labrador and half Dalmatian.

Dogs - L is for Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton.  Louie.  Lou bear.  Boo Boo.  Louie is an incredibly smart dog.  When he was gifted to my 16-year-old daughter, she had a lot of time to train him and he would never disappoint.  No matter what she taught him to do, he mastered it almost immediately.  Please refer to 'J is Just Dream Big.' 

When Louie was about 6 months old, my daughter went away for two weeks.  Boo Boo, as she affectionately called him, was attached to her like glue.  He stayed in her room the first two days and didn't want to socialize.  You could tell he was very lonely.

DOGS - K is for Babe is Killed

In this series of 26 dog posts, this will probably be the most difficult to share.  Many of you have fallen in love with Babe in B is for Babe and D is for Dyeing Hair.

On Sunday afternoons, as long as it wasn't raining too hard, we would take Babe and Mercedez up the mountain for their afternoon run.  They would get so excited when we opened the back of the Jeep and told them to jump inside.  They knew exactly where we were going.

We would drive for about one and a half miles up the mountain road and then open the back door and let them run free.  It would be extremely rare to see any other people up there.  If we ever saw anyone, they would be in a vehicle - always.  The road is an old logging road and pretty rough with pot holes and large rocks.

Dogs -J is for Just Dream Big

I come from strong stock.  Some of you may have met my dad, Texas and know what a fighter he is.  I may be small in stature but I have always dreamed big.  When I dream, it is not only what I think about when I am awake, but also when I am asleep.  If I set my mind to something, you better believe that I will do it.  I am a very determined character.

Dogs - I is for the Intimidator

Remember Lily in Flying Dogs and Flying Snakes?   She was the one who would get so excited about seeing Grandma (me) that she would fly across the furniture. 
   

In the above picture, Lily looks pretty darn cute but up close and personal, she has a serious underbite that makes her look like a bull dog with attitude; hence, she became the Intimidator.

My daughter's boyfriend, Thomas, gave her a Miniature Dachshund for her 16th birthday.  His name is Louis Vuitton and inspires me to write about him often.   Two years later, they went to Mexico for a holiday.  When Thomas called from the airport he said he had something to discuss with me.  I was freaking -- I thought maybe they got engaged!  When I picked them up, he was reluctant to tell me what happened.  They were walking the streets of a Mexican town and saw several very tiny Chihuahuas in a cardboard box who looked undernourished and dehydrated.   He immediately ran to get them water and the lady selling them became very upset.  She yelled at him, "Don't give them water, then they will pee."

Dogs - H is for Hiding Behind the Tree

"Please, please help me find a home for this dog," my friend pleaded with us.  I listened as she explained that her neighbor was keeping their dog chained inside their garage and decided they didn't want her anymore and were going to have her put down.  

I certainly didn't want or 'need' another dog but curiosity got the best of us, so we told her we would have a look and maybe find a suitable home.

Dogs - G is for Galloping Down the Highway

If there is a stray that needs a home, I have to close my eyes and plug my ears because if I hear about it or see it, well...... you know!

I was about 40 miles from home and made a wrong turn in a residential area out in the country.  As I was turning my car around I saw her. Now, you have to understand that not only do I have a soft spot for all dogs – but red Dobermans – well, it's a no brainer. Probably the reason she caught my eye was she was a red Doberman sitting in a red wheel barrel in someone's front yard.

I couldn't resist. “Well, hello there, you precious girl.”

Flying Snakes and Flying Dogs

Flying.  A pretty broad term.  Flying Snakes.  Not so broad. Whoever heard of flying snakes? Or flying dogs?

Sinker, red Doberman

My husband had just mowed the lawn on a hot summer day and laid down on the chaise lounge to catch some rays.  He had almost dozed off when a whizzing sound startled him.  It sounded like a Frisbee whirling past his head.  Thinking he may be dreaming, he didn't give it any more thought.

My Mini Dachshund Was Attacked

On January 6, 2012, I was walking my 15-year-old Miniature Dachshund, Texas. We were walking in a wooded area and my husband was about a mile away running our Black Lab, Mercedez.

I noticed a woman walking a Bull Mastiff that was not muzzled and was wearing a small collar. As they got closer, the large dog took three leaps towards Texas. She did not bark or growl. There was no indication that she was about to attack. She was no match for the woman who was walking her and pulled away easily causing her owner to fall. Molly, the large dog, grabbed Texas so quickly I did not have a moment to pick him up out of harm's way. He was in the mouth of this dog who violently shook him for a full five minutes.

My Dog Ate Dad's Teeth!

Remember Babe in B is for Babe?  When we brought her home she was about 8 years old.  We were able to learn a few things about her background.  She was a trained guard dog and only understood commands in German.  We had no idea what the commands were but certainly experienced her ability to protect us if she felt we were threatened.

We lived at the end of a road where teenagers liked to party late at night.  This disturbed Babe greatly and when she saw them coming she would run up behind them and smash the full weight of her body behind their knees.  They would totally freak out and didn't know what knocked them off balance but they stopped coming around.  Babe would nonchalantly walk away as if she was not guilty.

Dogs - C is for Charlie

My daughter has 5 dogs and a cat.  Louis Vuitton, a miniature dachshund; Lily, a chihuahua; Lola, a chi-weenie; Willow, a husky/wolf cross and Dakota, a K-9 German Shepherd. I will be sharing the stories of each of these during this blog challenge but today C is for Charlie.

Charlie is the newest member of our family and we are just getting to know her so don't have a great deal to share or many funny stories yet.

While my husband and I were visiting a friend, she shared how she needed to find a home for a 10-month-old Burnese Mountain Dog.  She was beautiful, goofy and already very large.  Strictly as a joke, my husband gave our daughter a quick call and said "Have I got the dog for you!"

Babe - Our Dobie Lap Dog

My husband and I have always called each other Babe.  It would never occur to either one of us to name a dog Babe.  So how is it Babe was our loving pet for about ten years?

Babe and Mercedez

We had been out of touch with my husband's father for close to eight years.  We missed him but distance and circumstances prevented much contact.  In the spring of 1995, my hubby decided it had been too long and he needed to see his father.  He made the call.  Dad was thrilled and plans were made for hubby and son to go for a visit.

Only two weeks passed and we got the call from my sis-in-law.  "Dad slipped on the ice and hit his head.  He didn't make it.  He's gone."  

A is for All The Dogs

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and maybe I will become as generous and loving as they are" - Unknown

For all you dog lovers out there, this month of the A - Z blogging challenge is for you -- well, it's for everybody!

NO WI-FI? NO PROBLEM!

NO WI-FI?  NO PROBLEM!

This is the first time I will be involved in the A - Z Blogging Challenge and I certainly have been looking forward to it.  I have met so many wonderful people during the short time I have been blogging and especially during challenges - and look forward to a lot of insight about many soon-to-be new friends.

Within seconds of signing up for this challenge, I knew what my theme would be.  I asked a few friends what I should blog about in this challenge and all of them just looked at me as if I just landed from outer space and was asking directions.   It was hands down, no question about it -- DOGS.  But not just dogs, OUR dogs.  We have had enough of these family members to fill up this daily challenge.