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Doggy Hugs
I will always cherish the memories of the "doggy hugs" that Ross Allen gave me while I was lying
in my bed. Ross Allen would put his front feet on either side of me and push down on my chest with his chin. I know
that that was his way of giving me a hug.
Doggy Gitters
Ross Allen and I had a silly little game that we played. I called it "Doggy Gitters." It was one
of the few ways that Ross Allen could be enticed to bark.
This game was played while Ross Allen was up on the bed. I pretended that my hands were little creatures
called "doggy gitters," and I narrated a story about them as if I were the narrator on a nature show.
I would wiggle my fingers while I had one hand on either side of Ross Allen's head, and I would
quickly grab one of his ears with one hand while he was concentrating on the other hand. He would bark and bark while
we played this game. He barked more when the "doggy gitters" were after him than at any other time.
In my narration, I would talk about how the doggy gitters always worked in pairs and
how that the "poor little doggy" would never know which one to watch.
OK, I know it was silly, but it was fun, and Ross Allen and I both enjoyed it.
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The Doggy Gitters Attack! |
Who's been in the garbage?
Ross Allen just couldn't seem to resist helping himself to goodies in the garbage can. When he was
left unattended, we often found a mess on the kitchen floor when we returned.
He knew that he had done wrong, and it was hilarious the way he acted when we asked him, "Who's
been in the garbage?" He wanted so badly to give us his usual enthusiastic greeting when we walked through the door, but
he knew he had done wrong and would be scolded. As soon as we asked him about the garbage, he would tuck his tail and
lower his head, then slink off somewhere.
I never whipped him for getting into the garbage (or for anything else, come to think of it),
and I really wasn't even angry with him. My thinking was that he was just about a perfect dog, and he deserved at least that
one little "character flaw."
Really, that is the ONLY thing that he would repeatedly do that he knew he wasn't supposed to do.
He was such a good dog that it was almost scary.
Snuggling Up at Night
They say that pets lower their owners' blood pressure, and I can easily believe that.
Ross Allen always slept in the bed with me when I was staying in the apartment in Taylorville, and
no matter what troubles I might have been dealing with before going to bed, when I put my arm around Ross Allen and pulled
him up against my chest, those troubles all of a sudden were forgotten.
The world seemed right as long as I had my Puppy beside me. I cannot describe the deep peace that
I felt whenever I snuggled up with him. I actually smiled so hard that my face hurt as I lay beside my Puppy with my arm around
him and my nose and lips nuzzled in the silky soft hair on top of his head and on his ears. He was like a warm, living, breathing teddy
bear. I would tell him over and over, "Grandpa loves Ross."
In these moments I always marveled at how blessed I was to have such a friend, and I thanked
God for him. I never, ever took Rossie Pup for granted.
Oh, what I would give to be able to snuggle up with him tonight!
Hungry All of a Sudden
My son, Wesley, was acting silly one day and got down on his hands and kness in front of Ross
Allen's dog dish, pretending that he was going to eat the food that was in there. Now that food had been sitting there
for hours, with Ross showing not the least bit of interest in eating it, but he came up to that dish and put his head
down right over the food and growled at Wesley.
We all knew that Ross Allen would never bite anyone, whether they were taking his food or not, but
it was really funny to hear him growling like that. As soon as Wesley stopped messing
around, Ross Allen gobbled up the food.
This became a regular game, and it got to the point that if Wesley even got near his dish,
Ross Allen would run over to it and protect his food. Sometimes Wesley wasn't even trying to mess with him when he was
close to the dish, but Ross Allen still reacted. It was a good way to get him to eat, but getting him to eat was never
really a problem.
Hugs While Traveling
Ross Allen was the very best traveling companion a guy could ever have. He was always calm;
he never got restless, no matter how long the trip. Most of the time he would lie in his spot in the cargo area of my
Jeep, sleeping off and on.
I talked to him a lot as we traveled along. He was a great listener. :)
One of the sweetest things he did was to occasionally stick his head between the seats and look
out through the windshield, while resting his chin on my shoulder. I would reach around his neck and hug him while he
stood there like that. He often would give me doggy kisses at these times.
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Ross Allen Looking Out the Windshield |
Walks in Manners Park in Taylorville
When I was working in Taylorville, IL, during the week and returning home to KY on weekends,
I would take Ross Allen with me, and we would stay in the apartment that was provided for me by the company.
I would come home to the apartment after work and be greeted by Ross Allen when I opened the door.
Nothing has ever made me feel so good, so loved, and so appreciated as those greetings that Rossie Pup gave me. The
sparkling eyes, the violently wagging tail, and the barrage of doggy kisses made for a greeting that convinced me that, although
I didn't remember having done it, I must have just that day found a cure for cancer, pitched a perfect game in the seventh
game of the World Series, and rescued three children and their grandmother from a burning building.
After this glorious reunion, I would ask Ross Allen if he wanted to go to the park. He
would go absolutely berserk with excitement at the mention of the park; he loved our walks there, and so did I.
I would not have expected a town located in the middle of corn fields to have such a beatutiful
city park, but Taylorville's Manners Park is as nice as any city park you would find anywhere.
Ross Allen and I would walk all the way around the park every evening. It was just another
thing that I enjoyed so much simply because it was time spent with my Puppy.
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Ross Allen in Manners Park |
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Ross Allen and Grandpa in Manners Park |
The Morning Milkbone
One morning, after coming back inside from our usual trip out to the yard for Rossie Pup and Black
Dog to answer nature's call, Ross walked up to the front of the microwave cart and just stood there. I didn't know what
in the world he was up to at first, and then it dawned on me... he was telling me that he wanted a Milkbone! We keep
the Milkbones on the end of the snack bar nearest the wall and right beside the microwave.
Well, I gave him one, of course, and then every morning after that, he would come in from the morning
trip to the yard and walk over to the microwave cart. He always got his Milkbone, and Black Dog always got one too.
Oh, by the way, Ross Allen could spell Milkbone. His ears would perk up as soon as he heard
the "M."
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