Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

These were the two who were not chosen.  There were six in our litter.  And we sold four–two each to two separate men.  Our dogs, Pax and Sweetie, had a litter–their only one.  And I did not have the heart to tell my wife to sell any of the two remaining pups and separate them.  One turned out to be a real sweet heart– Coco a long haired female with the cutest fluffy black ears.  The other one was a rascal but one smart and athletic dog–Tilla.  His original name was Atilla the Hun.  He was the only one of four who could jump the fence we built a year later, which necessitated building it even higher.  Before the fence was built we had another problem:  he could let himself out the front door:  he learned how to pop open the front latch and then we had to chase him all over the neighborhood every time we forgot to lock the front door.  Anyway, God in his wisdom made them perfect choices for us.  So you never know.  Both of them were, by the way, black like all of rest of the litter.

Tags: athletic dog, Coco, dog jumps the fence, dog opens the front door, dogs, God, litter of puppies, my wife, Pax, pets, Sweetie, Tilla
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My three dogs were laying at my feet and I realized how much I loved them and they were only on loan (the fourth one was in the next room). I loved each dog and each one I had a special relationship with.

Coco, the black long haired mutt, the offspring of Pax and Sweetie, was lovely. She had the personality of her mother, a golden retriever: She just loved you and asked nothing in return.

Sweetie, her mother, often spent hours chained in the previous owner’s house. She, sometimes, demanded affection, having been deprived of it in her first year of her life. She was one happy-go-lucky dog.

Tilla, the second offspring of Sweetie, was perhaps the most intelligent and athletic dog I have ever known. Often when he is in the office with me he pushes the door shut–a behavior I have never figured out.

I looked at all three dogs who had joined me in the office while I was reading my paper and realized everything is by grace. I did not grow up with pets but here I am with four dogs and seven cats all of whom I love dearly.

Everything is by grace. And God gives you first, second, third, sometimes fourth chances, etc., to do it all over again.

Tags: affection, athletic dog, Coco, do it all over again, dogs, everything-is-by-grace, four dogs, God, God gives you more chances, golden retriever, happy-go-lucky dog, intelligent dog, love, love each dog, Pax, pets, reading my paper, relationships with my dogs, seven cats, she just loved you, Sweetie, Tilla
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I woke up in the middle of the night and Tilla one of my pups was asleep right next to me again.  I never thought another dog would come along who I would love as deeply as Daisy, now gone over three years.

Daisy was the first dog I raised from a pup.  She was one stubborn dog.  I finally decided to train her when I broke the front door window for the third time.  She would go berserk whenever I was about to leave the house.  She scared me and I slammed the door again breaking the glass.

It took infinite patience to train her to stop barking uncontrollably every time I was about to leave the house.  I would clamp my hands over her snout when she barked.  If she stopped, I praised her.  Otherwise I said nothing.

I repeated this technique umpteen times.  I knew I had succeeded when all I had to do when she barked was “shush” her and she would stop immediately.

It also took a long time to train her to sleep in the corner of the bed.  She would want to sleep too closely to me.  I must have pushed her away from me dozens of times in bed before she started sleeping at my feet.

My wife was always amazed that now she would automatically sleep at my feet at the furthest reaches of the bed.

When I was in the house her eyes never left me.  She was my dog.  She finally died and I missed her terribly.  And I thought that there would never be a another dog like her.

Well, Tilla came along.  We were down to one dog and someone gave us a young female golden retriever.  And you know the rest of the story:  she got pregnant before we could fix her.  And Tilla was one of her puppies.

Tilla as opposed to Daisy wanted to please.  We had our own set of problems with him.  Tilla was the only dog athletic enough to  jump the fence we had erected and finally at great expense we had it built higher.  He also had a bad habit of pooping in the dining room every night.

He is the only dog of ours who prompted a visit from the local dog warden when a neighbor complained about one of his escapades.

He was a scoundrel and was the most aggressive of our four dogs yet paradoxically was timid when it came to other humans except us.  He will be three next July.

Tilla did certain things to endear him to me.  He loved getting belly rubs and would turn over on a dime for that privilege.  Whenever he was waiting for me to let him out he would twirl rapidly in almost perfect circles.  He was the only dog to do that of our four.

I started giving him special walks because for a while he was the only dog we could not let loose in the yard.  He can’t replace Daisy but he has come close.  And he came when I least expected it.  He has captured my heart.

Tags: athletic dog, belly rubs, Daisy, death, dog barking, dog poop, dog training, dog twirl in circles, dog walking, dog warden, dogs, golden retriever, jump the fence, my dog, my wife, never another dog like her, patience, pets, praise the dog, puppies, stubborn, Tilla, train my dog, walk the dog
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