She was the only dog in my life I
actually paid money for and yet she was about the most useless. I can
remember the day we got her like it was yesterday. I only wish it was,
maybe then I could have prevented her death.
To the Working Kelpie Council of
Australia her name was Ballydine Patriece but we just called her Aussie.
We picked her out when she was just a seed in a womb roaming the
paddocks of Ballydine Kelpie Stud, Uralla, New South Wales, Australia. I
suppose I always resented the fact that Aussie visited Hawaii before I
did but that’s where she spent her quarantine period. Aussie came to
America as a reluctant guest. When she arrived in San Francisco she took
one step out of the wire cage, took a look around that weird city and
immediately tried to get back into her cage.
Aussie had some real famous parents you
never heard of and I had visions of becoming a famous dog trainer. We
tried to get her bred and make a lot of money off her ovaries but Aussie
refused to conceive.
She was supposed to be a working dog, but
I think she came from a non-working strain. In fact, as I look back now
Aussie had several bad habits. She refused to ride in the back of the
truck preferring instead the comfort of the cab. When we worked cattle
we had to lock her in the house and when we worked sheep there were
times we unexpectedly ate mutton for dinner. Aussie caused us several
sleepless nights, usually by barking at intruders that existed only in
her canine mind. And boy did she cost us money. Her football knee
operation alone was $225.
But if Aussie was not the perfect dog
neither were we perfect pet parents. We never gave her a birthday
present or sent her to obedience school. My wife never knitted her a
sweater or made her homemade doggie biscuits. And I suppose there were
rare occasions when we argued in front of her. But that was only natural
because Aussie was our one and only child.
Aussie was a member of our family. If
you’ll pardon the parental pride I could brag that Aussie was loyal,
good looking and funny. She was the source of several stories and I
never had to pay her royalties. She kept my wife company when I was on
the road and my wife insists she was much better company. A better
listener for sure. Aussie hardly ever got sick and had no really
disgusting habits. She had a strong eye, a big heart and was always glad
to see us.
That’s why I cried the day Aussie died.
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