Dogs

We share our house with a mixed breed dog we got from the animal shelter about 14 years ago. Her name is Candy. It fits her as she is the sweetest girl in the world. She does confuse people when they first meet her. She will stand on the front porch, hair on her back standing on end barking like Cujo and wagging her tail letting you know she is happy to see you. She is the queen of mixed messages. Beau, who we think of as our third son is her boyfriend. He shows up to deer hunt and Candy wags her tail and sings until he comes up and gives her some attention. She spends most of her time now in our bedroom on her bed. Unless, of course, she hears the refrigerator door open or the crinkling of a potato chip bag. Then she comes in to she what will come her way. Carol and I will be eating and she its in front of me waiting for a bite or two. She knows an easy mark when she sees one. When I finish eating she goes over and sits in front of Carol hoping for another shot of "people food". Candy has a pretty extensive vocabulary and understands things like "go to bed" or "do you need to go outside". She was house broken quickly and I could count on one hand the number of times she has had an accident in the house. She looks so ashamed when it happens. It is tougher for her to do now but she loves to ride in my truck. Old age is making it tougher to get input she still manages. Another sign of her intelligence is that she watches me get dressed and knows based on what I am wearing if she is getting a truck ride.

The most important thing she has taught us is that we don't have a dog, Candy has people and we were lucky enough to get to be hers. We hope for a lot longer.