Showsight - April 2018

On The Line Just a Pet? BY BARBARA “BJ” ANDREWS

S he was ‘only a pet’ but to this elderly WWII paratrooper, the Akita puppy was the key to life itself. A short true short that validates why dog breeders do what we do. Show breeders get so wrapped up in anatomical details, breed standards, and club politics that too often, we forget what dogs

the inevitable because Roy had begun to link himself with the aging dog. He said they were “just two old men”. With Duke’s crippled hips and Roy’s shattered bones it was evi- dent that in some warped way, Roy felt his own life to be tied to that of his old dog. He was often overheard talking with Duke and remarks like, “Yep old buddy, ain’t neither of us no good to nobody no more”, were frightening to my mother. So it was not unexpected that when Duke died, Roy went even deeper into depression, something not well understood in the early 70s. He spent twenty out of twenty–four hours lying in never–never land in the back bedroom. His condition rapidly deteriorating, there were days when he could not be forced to the table to eat. When Mom could get a neighbor or church member in to help, Roy was brought into the living room and settled in his favorite chair to watch the wrestling matches he had always loved. There he would dutifully sit... and sleep or stare into space. For eleven months, Roy had not been outside the con- fines of his home except for trips to the V.A. hospital. His medication had been increased to dangerous limits and still no improvement. It hurts now to remember those painful months but it’s important that you understand how bad it was for Roy—and for my mother trying to cope. Upon our arrival Roy was assisted into the living room. Stimulated by our visit, he was bright and talkative for near- ly an hour. Gradually, what mom said was his usual vacant expression took over as he lost interest in the conversation. Lunch was prepared and he fell asleep in his chair midway through the meal. We let him doze while we unloaded the van—and Key–Too. All thirteenweeks of her. Rambunctious, mischie-

mean to our pet owners. Sometimes we forget what they once meant to us! We rarely speak of the pets we produce, as though the fact that there were mere “pets” in a litter is shameful. Let me remind you why we’re supposed to be breeding dogs. Decades ago my mother made her standard remark when she was sure that our litter was all sold. “Oh dear, I wish we could have had one of those puppies.” It always made me feel guilty even though I knew that she knew that I knew that she really didn’t mean it. This time her usually impeccable timing was bit off. I had kept the pick bitch but at 12 weeks she was decidedly cow–hocked. I hoped it was just a puppy growth phase but when mom made her standard remark, I suddenly realized what mattered. We were going on the Florida Circuit so I told her that I had a very special puppy for her. She pro- tested as I knew she would but I said I was bringing an Akita puppy that was just a pet and we’d see... Let me explain about my mother and Roy. Mom was not well and my stepfather a total invalid. God forbid, “vegetable” would better describe Roy. Packed away was a trunk filled with reminders of his heroic service to our country. Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross, Sil- ver Star, you name it, he had been awarded just about every honor. But a daily reminder of his service as a paratrooper in the famed 82nd Airborne Division of WWII or the “Big War” as he called it, was a steel skull plate, brain damage, a shell of a body and daily medication to control seizures. A few months before, Mom and Roy had lost their thir- teen year old German Shepherd, Duke. We had all dreaded

vous, troublesome, klutzy, inquisitive, demanding of love and attention. The pup- py raced excitedly into the strange house. She didn’t notice the old man dozing in the chair as she sniffed and snuffed and explored under the sofa, in the cor- ners and down the hallway.

“WE WERE GOING ON THE FLORIDA CIRCUIT SO I TOLD HER THAT I HAD A VERY SPECIAL PUPPY FOR HER.”

132 • S how S ight M agazine , A pril 2018

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