Kid dog memories....

[snook]

My last thread on Chapter 4 kick started a bunch of pet memories that I recall when I was a kid. What a happy remembrance. I'm sure you all have memories when you were growing up of your critters and the neighborhood critters. So let's share them, come on!

Ok, I'll go first:

We used to get all the neighborhood kids together with their dogs and have dog shows in our yards. Those kids that didn't have a dog borrowed one of the other hundred dogs in the neighborhood.

We'd get together and have big buckets of water for them and snag hot dogs from the fridge to feed 'em. Man, would my mom get pissed when she'd go to look for the hot dogs or hamburger! We'd also feed 'em fish sticks and bologna.

After we got them in an order, we'd parade up and down the streets. Poodles, mutts of all shapes and sizes, german shepards, labs, cockers, you name it, they all had their time in the sun.

It was a great time and the grownups would get a kick out of it.

 

[ACooper]

That really must have been a great thing to see!

I do have particularly good memories of climbing mountains with our dogs in AZ as a kid. I was around 12-13 and our big male mutt (shepard mix) would go in front of me and wait until I grabbed his tail and then help pull me up on the tough parts. He was never asked to do this, just took the job on himself to help out (probably not going fast enough for him most of the time, LOL)

 

[snook]

My Pop used to say that dogs are aliens that were sent to help and guide us.

My dad was a philosopher I believe. He used to say that there is a place for all gods creatures........... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.

Man, I miss him.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

I grew up in a large family (six kids!)--and we all had a guinea pig of our own -which then led to mixing and matching of pigs, and more pigs---at one point we housed 15 pet guinea pigs. I loved those critters--all had their own personality. We used to take them out and let them run around the room--and have a "piggy parade"! It was so funny to watch them.
Oh--btw, we did finally end our "in home breeding program"--all pigs were well cared for, and stayed with us for their entire lives!

 

[snook]

We had guinea pigs too, they were a riot. We used to call them guinea hogs, they were huge.

My dad loved coon dogs. You wouldn't think that would be that big in California, but it was. We would travel all over the state and go to trade and Dad would breed his hound with others. They would shoot targets for the best score; the winner got the pick of the litter. We had people come from as far as Tennessee to trade with my Pop.

I remember dad feeding the family for a month when we'd go to turkey shoots. I did pretty well too, I was good for a ham and chickens and the odd turkey. It was a blast (pun intended).

 

[Aussie Red]

I did not have a dog as a kid so here is my pet story anyway
I guess my rescue of strays started at a very early age for me. I was six years of age when I made my first rescue. It was a black domestic long hair kitten who I later named Tommy. I was dawdling home from school after a boring Monday session when I heard a very faint meowing. Now back then in San Pedro ,Calif. there were many military families who would get new orders and move sometimes leaving their pets behind. Back in those days usually a neighbor would feed it or take it in.
I saw him and also saw he had no food or water and was tied to an outside water spigot and the house was empty. I walked over and untied him and took him home. I hid him in my play house because I was sure my mother would find a reason to not let me keep him. I went in and let my mother know I was home and quickly went and got a snack ,several slices of bologna and a very large glass of milk. Tommy was grateful for the goodies. This went on until Friday when my mother was searching her cupboard for a can of tuna. She was sure she had one and yes she had until I fed it to my cat.:yikes: Now fearing that she was going to find out I knew I had to tell. I waited for my father to come home and I would approach him. He had a soft spot for animals and little girls tears. I told him the whole story including the missing can of tuna and the whole time Tommy was doing his part to soften pop up.
We were a great team that cat and I. Pop left my play house with a little black kitten in one arm and a little girl in the other to tell mama that we now owned a new kitten. I told mama about the can of tuna looking at her with a tear stained face, so we had mac and cheese that night. Tommy was neutered and lived 13 wonderful years with us and we all adored him and he us. My folks had a memorial plaque made for him to mark his grave.

Oh yes I also had a male and female guinea pig and many off spring that I would take to the pet shop and trade for their food.

 

[snook]

I remember one time the neighbors Lab treed a burglar in my uncles backyard. That dog was barking and driving us nuts, we thought he had a cat up the tree or something.

I went out to get him and saw stuff that the burglar was stealing from the house strewn all over the yard. He dropped it as he was running away from the dog and climbing the tree. I looked up in the tree and here was this 20 something year old blond kid up there.

He was cussing the dog and telling me that when he got out of the tree he would kill me if I said anything to the grownups. I was 12 at the time. He scared me pretty good.

What he didn't know was that my uncle was a few feet away and heard the whole thing. My uncle went back into the house and came back with a shotgun. He blasted that guy right out of tree.

I thought he killed him, but the shotgun was charged with rock salt. You should have heard that guy hollering. My dad and uncle were laughing so hard I thought they were going to fall over. They loaded him up and hauled his butt down to the sheriff.

 

[snook]

See? These are all great stories.

 

[Fruit bat]

I remember Stacy .ever faithful childhood friend. she was really my brother's dog but she was always there. fishing, hunting , riding bikes, in our fort , in our bed
at night, rolling in dead salmon, and getting to close to a skunk, undeniable
obsessive compulsive chocolate chip cookie disorder and all ,those were the good years . thanks mom for saying yes ,when Dan found that cute little lab.

 

[Aussie Red]

Ah yes Stacy. How could one have not loved her ? You forgot " #1" all time worlds greatest lizzard chaser and fish stringer remover.
She loved to dive in the water and retrieve your stringer full of fish. This was cute unless you were not next to it at the time she removed it from the water. Once in awhile we would end up finding our freshly caught fish dried up and you could use them for lawn darts:lol-sign: