Peppy Pets
May 30, 03


Chad.....The Fireman

Chad was our first of four dogs we have enjoyed during
our 42 plus years of marriage. He was a German Shepherd
and we bought him two weeks before my second child was born.
 
He became very protective of both my daughter and son
who were 17 months apart in age. I never worried when
they were out in the yard playing, for Chad was always close
at hand watching over them.

One morning when my husband was working the night shift
Chad jumped onto our bed and began barking constantly
which was very uncharacteristic of him. He usually laid on the
floor next to my side of the bed all night.

When I sat up in the bed I saw smoke filtering into the bedroom.
The motor on the window fan in the adjoining room was
an orange glow and there were sparks shooting out toward
the curtain tiers hanging at the window.

I immediately ran downstairs to turn off the electricity, pulled
the fan out of the window, and carried it outside to sit in the
yard where it could do no harm.

Chad sat guard in front of that fan until he could see or
smell no more fire nor harm coming from it. I shudder to
think what could have happened that early morning if it
had not been for our faithful guardian.

Submitted by Joyce Yost

 

Diablo is My Life

I couldn't have asked for a dog at a more important time in my
life. I was 18 and I hadn't at that time been diagnosed yet
but I was having a very hard time...I would cry every day
for absolutely no reason at all... my parents and family
would try everything to get me to perk up. Some days were
easier then others back then. We had lost the family dog
because he was always a door darter once that door opened
Lucky would make a mad dash for the door and most of the
time it was just out the front door into the yard where we
has a few trees, On Halloween night I went to work at Dairy
Queen and when I came home that night my parents took me to
their room and told me that a drunk driver had been driving
on the wrong side of the road and when Lucky ran out of the
house this time he went past the trees and the truck the man
was driving ran our dog over.

And so began the nearly deadly decline to the bottom of the
depression pits. on my 19th birthday I was given a cute
little soft puppy, he was so scared and shaking all the time
and cried till all hours of the night until I learned that
putting him up on my bed quickly remedied that.

Diablo didn't get his name for about 2 weeks I knew it had to
be just perfect one day after getting home from work my mom
was fuming she was upset that my sweet little innocent puppy
had started eating her couch and curio cabinet my cousin was
there at the time and she said he was a little devil... so
the name Diablo was the perfect name for my dog for about 2
years. In the meantime I was diagnosed with major depressive
disorder. I often thought about suicide but when ever that
thought came my dog would always nudge me to pet him, so I
would and those thoughts would instantly disappear.

Diablo is now 9 years old and my depression is all but a
faint memory of wondering what could've been so wrong, but
now with 2 other younger dogs in the house that belong two
my sisters Diablo's name has been transformed to bla - blow
(that's a another story in itself). Diablo is definitely
my saving grace and from those first few night has never
left my side even at night. My dog really is my life thanks.

Leslie Mucher



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