On The Line: Just a Pet?
BY BARBARA “BJ” ANDREWS continued
“HE BROUGHT LOVE AND LAUGHTER INTO A HOME THAT DESPERATELY NEEDED BOTH.”
When we waved goodbye, he was brushing her with mom's hairbrush... The rest of the story is what breed- ing dogs is all about. O’BJ Key–Too Suc- cess never became a champion. What “Tay–Too” did do was what every dog is born to do. She brought love and laugh- ter into a home that desperately needed both. She gave them security and pro- tection. She gave a new lease on life to two lonely old people who needed her more than anyone had realized. Three days after we left her, Roy took his brand new puppy and his brand new pin brush and the two of them went into the backyard to groom. “Tired of your Mother’s fussing about her hairbrush and hair in the house”, was Roy’s comment on the phone. Not only was it the first time in months he had talked to anyone on the phone, it was the first time in nearly a year that he’d ventured out of the house other than to be driven to the V.A. hospital. By the end of the second week, he informed Mom that he and Tay–Too were going for a walk and demanded she unpack Duke’s leash. Mom protest- ed and rightly so, for he was still feeble and unsteady on his feet—and the pup- py wasn’t leash trained. He ignored her warnings and the two of them proudly walked two blocks that day. Mom called me in tears of joy. She described how the puppy never fought the leash, how she watched from the window as they slowly made their way down to the cor- ner and back, Tay–Too walking ever so carefully by Roy’s side. By the end of the next week, the two of them had made it all the way to the 7–11 store five blocks away! They became such “regulars” that the cashier no longer bothered to call Mom to reas- sure her they had arrived. The manager always had a treat ready for Tay–Too and a free cup of coffee for “the war hero.” People stopped in at the little store when they saw them there. Ma Bell loved us. I talked to my mother more than I had in years. I heard amazed “progress reports”. Not the typical proud stories about what a lovely front the puppy has, how much it weighs or how well it did at
training class. Oh no, Key–Too’s reports meant ever so much more. Neighbors stopped them on the street and Roy proudly told them she was an Akita, a real show dog, a rare Japanese breed, and who knows what else he told them in his new found pride and enthusiasm. Through the puppy, he made new friends and never tired of telling them about the dog or “the Big One, WW2.” And you know, somehow they never tired of listen- ing. Everyone loved Roy and all that he stood for. You’ve seen it, the hero worship grown men show to the old veterans. Now it had become “Cap- tain Carter and Tay–Too”. They were an item. She became more than just an old man’s companion, she was his nurse- therapist and guide dog. She under- stood how uncertain his balance was and watched him carefully at curbs. Her powerful shoulders saved him some bad spills. She learned early-on not to jump on either of them. Akitas can be stubborn but Key–Too learned use- ful little chores like getting the paper, fetching his slippers, taking the mail out to the mailman who began to stop his little truck and toot at the Carter residence. She guarded their sleep and protected their home. She greeted the pastor with “reverence” and all their guests with respect but she barred the door with a deep snarl when a strange man knocked. Key–Too’s favorite resting place blocked the narrow hallway but she learned not to move a muscle when Roy carefully stepped over her. She escaped through the sagging back yard fence but when she realized how terri- bly it upset her people, she never did it again. Oh there were problems. Key–Too dug immense holes in the back yard and Roy fell in them. She left balls and toys scattered around and Roy tripped over them. But within a few months, she was big enough and understood enough to guide him around such obstacles and when he did fall, she was instantly at his side, offering her strong back for him to pull himself up.
Other than booster shots, her only trip to the vet was when she attacked Mom’s blooming cactus. It was unex- pected expense but they proudly managed and Mom said it was worth it for Roy not only went with them to the vet, he insisted on driving on the way home! It was his first time at the wheel in over two years and although my moth- er was scared to death they made it safely—and that certain bottle of pills which had prevented him driving in the past sat untouched in the medicine chest from then on. As Roy’s condition improved, my mother’s began to worsen. When she went on oxygen, Key–Too suspiciously avoided the tank and hoses but elect- ed to sleep in Mom’s bedroom. When Mom had the inevitable bad days when she couldn’t look after Roy, Key–Too did. When my mother hurt her back in such a way that she couldn’t move her legs and Roy was fast asleep and couldn’t hear her cries, Key–Too barked at Roy until he awoke and went to help my mother. Key–Too learned to accept what from a dog’s perspective, seemed like threatening actions of the visiting nurse who bent over my prone moth- er. She learned that when the nurse caused my mother pain, she was not to interfere. When mom had to be hos- pitalized, Key–Too cried for her and paced the floor and then would go sit with her head on Roy’s knee, putting her own confusion aside to try and comfort him. Well, no point in continuing this story except to say that the one thing Tay–Too never understood was why the vet picked her up one day and took her away from her beloved owners. She knew and trusted the family friends she lived out the rest of her life with, but no, Tay–Too never understood why she never saw Roy and my mother again. Key–Too Success O’BJ was never a show dog. She was a fat, spayed pet. I would gladly give up all our Best In Show winners in exchange for just one more pet like “Tay-Too.” Wouldn’t you?
136 • S how S ight M agazine , A pril 2018
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