there's something about dogs

When I was a child I had a lot o' dogs.........my first were two beagle hounds that dad acquired when we lived at the edge of town.....and they were wonderful pets.....we ran together in the woods and chased squirrels. We had a huge chestnut tree in our rear yard that attracted the furry creatures, so we had a lot to do.........

My children are now adults and have many dogs. Mary has a brown lab named willow; Marty has shepherds frodo and colleen; Jack has a frisky black lab named roxy; Julie has two beagles, judy and beatle; and Sue has a big bronze mutt named baxter. They are adorable dogs and I love to be around them. They provide all of us with love and affection.

Members of our family want me to get a dog.....one who would provide me with companionship in my reclining years........and they wonder why I refuse their many offers to provide me with a pet. Well, there are many reasons, but the one nagging me the most is remembering the last dog I ever had, who I named sport. He was a little white dog with a wagging tail that would'nt stop, and the best friend I ever had. I was 15 years old at the time. We played together constantly. We lived together on a hill overlooking the railroad, and during those hard times we often had hoboes knock on our door asking for a bite to eat. Mom never turned them away, and sport was always there providing them with a laugh. He often accompanied them when they walked away, but would come back shortly after seeing them off to another journey on the rails

One day sport was missing. I called and I searched, but sport was not to be found. All day i searched until a neighbor walked by and said he thought my dog might be tied up down at the railroad. I rushed down the hill and I found my dog. He had been tied upside down, hanging from a highway barrier, with a burning oil can under his nose. His death must have been horrible........whoever did that to my dog must have been the most cruel person in the world. I cried as I picked up my dog and tenderly carried him home where he was laid to rest in our garden. The tragedy was burned into my mind...and I have never forgotten what happened to sport. I will never have a dog again.........