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

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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.

Use your words - Attitude Is Key

I'm participating in two writing challenges today. This one is Use Your Words. After you've read it, be sure to click here to read my A - Z challenge on Dogs

 
I sat there. Staring outside. It was raining.

I watched the rain drops and tried to see them individually as I was trying to concentrate on each one. The harder I tried, the more difficult it became. I never minded the rain. Living in the Northwest U S, we get a lot of rain and people complain about it all the time.

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."