So, in Blog #132,  I talked about how we worked inventory down successfully. In this blog  I want to talk about Our First Family Dog was Muttley.

My job was getting really stressful. My mom calls me one day as I was coming back from San Francisco. “Mike Muttley, died.” I was crushed, I had to pull over to have a good cry. “I’m sorry I had to put her down she was suffering the poor thing.” She had cancer. 16 years old, I went off in a daydream about our first family dog. 

My Aunt and Uncle had a place out in Clovis in the Countryside. They had several animals and my Uncles hunting dog Duke. They also had a dog named Queenie that was rescued. My parents wanted a family dog so we all agreed we would adopt “Queenie, with one stipulation, we are changing the name…

At this moment in time, My brothers and I watched “Dick Dastardly and Muttley”. Muttley had this funny laugh that oddly enough sounded like my Grandpas laugh. “Muttley” we all sang in chorus. We want to name her Muttley. Since she was a poodle terrier mix she was kind of a mutt. I was probably 12 at the time and we were all 3 years apart me being the oldest.

Playful plus tricks

This dog was really playful running around our backyard at top speed. She was so fun to play with, tossing balls and teaching her tricks. We taught her how to sit, beg and shake. Of course a treat was involved as a reward. One treat she really liked was carrots. So a biscuit or a carrot is all it took. She would always look like she was smiling too when she got her treat.

My grandparents had a cabin at Huntington Lake and we took her up there a few times. She loved the outdoors. My mom would stay at the cabin with her while us boys would hike or go fishing with Grandpa. This is until she got a tick up there. That ended her Mountain days. She was ok though it came out easy enough.

Holidays

Holidays were always fun with our dog. Easter especially during the egg hunts. She would always want to participate. At Christmas time she was always in the middle of it all, We’d open our presents and she would plop down in the action. We would always include her with a toy or a new bone. She liked the gelatin bones the best.

My Mom and Muttley were very close. She would follow my my Mom everywhere. My mom was heartbroken that day when she told me, I could hear it in her voice. A loyal companion for 16 years. Our first family dog was muttley and she was one of the best…

So why this story. I think pets bring out the best in us. They put things in perspective. Unconditional love. Work was really stressful. Maybe it was time for us to get a family dog…