My dogs

A few months after my mom died, I got Spooky. She's an Australian Cattle dog (Blue Heeler for most Texans). I got her at about 8 weeks of age, from a ranch that raises working dogs. When I decided to get a dog of my own, I decided I wanted a heeler. I'm not sure why. I'd been around a couple of them in the past. I remember the lady who did my mom's hair had one. She always told people not to turn their back on it because it would nip you. There used to be one that rode around town on the roof of a guys pickup. Somehow it always knew just how to lean to stay in place. But I don't think it was those dogs. I think it was Max's dog from The Road Warrior. Something about having a dog that could hold someone at bay with a shotgun appealed to me, so I found a ranch that sold ACD's.

When I got to the ranch, I could tell the guy wasn't happy about sending one of his dogs to a home that didn't have cows. He tried to get me to look at some pups that he didn't think had the right personality for herding. There was one little blue one thought that kept following me around when the others wanted nothing to do with me. The rancher had said the four I looked at were all shy so probably wouldnt be good with cattle, but the one didn't seem to be shy. I picked her and that began the adventure.

I quickly learned that Spooky (as I soon named her) was afraid of everything and everyone except me. She got over the everything part, but didn't want much to do with anyone except me ore my brother. As she started to come out of her shell I soon realized that she was trouble. She potty trained really quickly. I dont remember training her, she just seemed to do it on her own. So what could possibly be the problem? Heelers are smart. If you put them in an enclosed space, you had better give them a job to do or they will find something on their own. She destroyed every toy she could get her jaws on. If she was in the yard, she would dig. If she was in the house, find something and make it smaller. Paper quickly become confetti. Tennis balls? She could pluck one bald in 5 minutes. One day I started throwing the frisbee with her and she loved it. Too much. She would bring the frisbee back everytime you threw it. For eternity. I couldnt always throw the frisbee though so I gave her a rattle toy. Put some popcorn kernals in a small bottle and the noise would keep her busy until she chewed the bottle open. I never should have given her a pill bottle.

In November of 2006 I had a little mountain bike crash and hurt my neck and spinal cord. Spook was my constant companion during that time and seemed to know that I was in a lot of pain and she never left my side. I was having to take Vicadin just to get around and they also had me on anti-inflammatories and a drug to inhibit nerve pain called Neurontin that was making me slightly crazy. I had just returned to work and had all my meds in a side pocket of my backpack. One morning I got to work and around 10am needed a pain pill. I opened the pocket up and there were no pills. I could have sworn I put the drugs in my bag. I got home and looked everywhere, but couldnt find the pills. Then I looked out into the backyard. Little day glow pills dotted the yard (Neurontin). I spent the next hour picking up wet pills (it had showered) from the yard. Luckily she didn't eat them, just scattered them over a 10 yard radius.

Then there was the time I looked over and see her holding a rubber handled hunting knife by the handle with 8" of blade fully bared. Taking it away from her was an experience. She thought it was a toy and that I was playing. Upstairs, downstairs, I chased her all over the house. I just knew that one of us was going to end up in the ER/vet and either way it would be hard for anyone to believe what happened.

I don't think I did enough with her when she was a pup. She's obsessed with light/shadows. If you reflect light off your watch onto the wall, she goes after it like she can catch it and kill it. She'll even try and get your shadow. We finally figured out that if she wears a tag on her collar it will reflect a light onto the floor and she will spend hours trying to get it. One night I was sitting in the recliner and fell asleep. I woke up and got up only to disover there was a large floor in the carpet. She continuallly bit at a shadow on the carpet until she was all the way though to the floor under it.

Spook is six now. She's mellowed out but is still bossy, tough and all cattle dog. She has torn her achilled tendon and has touble some days, but she doesnt let it slow her down much. She's always at my side. She would kill for me, i have no doubt. I would do the same.