(Craig with Buck and Smokey) When I was three, Grandpa Kenny sent us a purebred English Bulldog puppy (as opposed to the Old English Bulldog breed like my brother’s dog Susi).
(Rachel with Susi)
Smokey was white with some brown patches. She was not considered a show dog, although I don’t know the specifics of her “defects.” While some people considered Smokey ugly with the wrinkled face and huge pug-like nose, she was quite beautiful. The fact Bulldog tongues are generally sticking out doesn’t hurt either. With Bulldogs, the eyes truly are windows to their souls.
One time the milk man looked through the screen door with Smokey looking back. He said “My, what an ugly dog you are,” in a patronizing sort of way. She went through a closed screen door and nipped at his leg. She knew exactly what he said and I think she also knew retribution was sweet. His eyes were very large when the door came open!
Smokey snored. She snored loud for hours a day when she got older. Grandpa Kenny raised purebred Boston Terriers and English Bulldogs. I remember “Taffy” was Smokey’s mom.
(Craig with Taffy)I think her registered name was Angel’s Taffy. The Boston Terrier bitch was “Lady.” I don’t think I ever knew her registered name, but I remember she bit me on the cheek after I kept head butting in the rear end.
Grandpa Kenny brought out a litter of pups one time for Dad to sell. He sold them all. I am not sure of the amounts, but I remember the conversation Dad had with Grandpa Kenny to the effect that Dad had sold them too cheaply. Apparently the prices in a very small town in Wyoming (because of the simple economic equation of Supply and Demand) were much lower than the national average. All of the puppies sold but Grandpa didn’t send any more.
Smokey had a corkscrew tail. This was probably one of the defects. It almost looked like a hairy pigtail, thicker, and mostly internal. It didn’t stick out more than an inch.
I don’t think Smokey ever wanted to be a mother. She did however get knocked up by a lab or so we think. The puppies were cute, but essentially worthless in the market. Smokey used to run to the back of our property which abutted an undeveloped area. I remember Dad or Mom saying Smokey was trying to lose them… a litter of puppies CAN BE ANNOYING to the mom.
Smokey also farted - bad sometimes. She’d pass gas - waking her from a deep sleep. She would make this “Scooby Doo” type sound of surprise, and she would mosey quickly to another area of the room.
- Craig
2 comments:
Duane and Dwight had a black lab. I cannot print his name without being politically incorrect. Let's just say it started with "N" and refered to people who had been the victims of enforced immigration in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
That lab loved to go pheasant hunting. In fact, he loved it so much that he often went hunting on his own. When he caught a pheasant, he would proudly bring it to the Edmonds house. If I remember correctly, when the word got out, a game warden spoke to Manfried about this, and Manfried offered to buy a license for the dog. Duane, is my memory correct?
Talking about the "N" word reminds me of the only other time my grandfather swatted me. Don't remember the word—it could have been Kike, Spic, Frog, Chink—any racial or ethnic slur. The "get my attention" swat was followed with "we Irish were sometimes called 'Mick' and worse. It was meant as an insult and usually started a fight.
As a result of those two swats, ethnic slurs and the F-word never became part of my vocabulary. But I do say "shit" in extreme circumstances, like when Duane hit that Black Angus, or when I ripped the heel off my homemade ski boot. But that's another story, involving Duane, Thayer Cox, Noel Wilkie, and me, and the great Powell High School Ski Club.
Hey Jim! I remember that lab. He was still around when I was little. Grandma Vesta said he wandered off to die when we were visiting one summer.
I certainly wouldn't recommend taking that dog hunting - especially if you lived in the south and you had to call him.
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