Gone Too Soon

Lady (Poodle)

1965-1976

Tom (Siamese)

1966-1977

Bubba (Lady's Father)

1963-1977


Mother and Beau

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my Mother was an animal lover. I thought it only fitting to include her with one of our family animals as I talk about them.

First, let's talk about Beau. This falls under "it seemed like a good idea at the time". An airman that was stationed at the Warner Robins Airforce Base was about to deploy and his full blooded poodle had just given birth to a litter of three. Daddy (in his entrepreneurial way) bought the litter at a deep discount with the intention of selling them. Mother took them to the groomer when they were just 7 weeks old to make them pretty for perspective buyers. Two sold immediately, but Beau started acting rather strangely. Mother took him to the vet and he thought that he had been dropped during the grooming and had sustained a head injury. He suggested putting him down because he had been biting. Well, he didn't know Mother. She immediately told him that she would "poke meat through a cage before she's put him to sleep". Such was Mother!!

Beau didn't ever seem to be in pain, but he would only let Mother take care of him and pet him. Anyone else that approached was in danger. Once, when I was very pregnant with Joe, she was taking a bath and forgot to take a towel into the bathroom, so she asked me to hand her one. I, unthinking, stepped into the bathroom to put a towel in and Beau bit my foot. It was sort of like putting your finger into an electrical socket!

To keep him out of harms way and away from anyone coming to the house that he could bite, she took an old fashioned baby play pen (one made of wood) and took the floor out and kept him inside the play pen so that he couldn't hurt anyone. He only was penned when someone was there other than Mother and Daddy. Beau lived to be around 14 or so and she cared for him his whole life.

Next is Bubba. When I was a junior in high school, I bought Bubba, much to my Daddy's dismay. It didn't take long for him to get attached! When I left home, he promised me a puppy if I would leave Bubba with the family. I certainly couldn't take him from so many people that loved him every single day.

Bubba had a very large vocabulary for a dog. In fact, one of my favorite stories is about my sister. She would tell Bubba that Mother was planning to give him a bath and he would go and hide under the dining room table. When Mother would find him, she couldn't put her hands on him because he would start growling! "Who told him?" It was always funny to watch. When he needed to go out, he would just go and sit by the door until someone noticed him. He had the sweetest disposition of any dog and was one of the smartest that I have ever known.

This brings me to Lady and Tom, my first pets. Lady was Bubba's daughter, the pick of the litter. She was born in February, 1965 and she was a loving faithful little companion until she died right after Daddy in September, 1976. She had gotten old and had gone blind, but was able to function quite well and the vet said that she was not in any pain and just to watch her closely. I came home from work one day and she came over and crawled into my lap and just sighed and was gone. I was heart broken. She had been with me such a long time.

Acquiring Tom was quite the adventure. I wanted a Siamese cat and I found a litter in south Georgia that was purebred, so off we went. We were in Daddy's 1966 Buick Wildcat. We picked up the Blue Point male Siamese and started home. We dropped Daddy off and got into our little car to head back to Athens. It was in January and going to freeze that night.

We arrived back in Athens at around midnight. Did I mention that these cats had been living in a barn? Well, when the car door opened, the cat freaked out! He scratched and fought and got loose and the last I saw him he was running down King Ave. in Athens. I know he probably didn't survive the night because it went down below zero for several days. I was so distraught. Not only had we spent a lot of money and had an exhausting day, but we didn't have our kitty. I told one of my co-workers the next day. He called me that night at home and said his Mother had a Siamese that didn't sell in her last litter and she felt so bad for me when she heard the story that she said to come and get him and that I could have him. So, I got my Siamese after all.

As it turned out, Tom was one the the greatest cats ever. He had a great personality and lived to be 11 years old. He died of cancer and I have never felt so helpless.

As pets come and go through our lives the leave indelible prints. I just do not understand anyone who doesn't love animals. I was raised to love them and take care of them. I waited a really long time to get another pet because the pain is so great when it's time for them to go.

Do you have any good pet stories? Has there been one special one that touched you? Just wondering.