[Looking at history and why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.]

A discussion this week is the basis for the question ‘why people and pets develop such a relationship?’ If you have a critter, you understand the query.

As of April 2023, 85,000,000 homes (67%) have a pet, with 53% of households having dogs. With pets, we are in the Governor’s goal of making our great state in the top-ten. Percentage wise, Oklahoma is in the top 8-states.

Why do people and dogs develop a relationship at all, much less a co-dependency? Do other critters voluntarily come to live with humans? A decidedly smaller number of cats join people. Past that, few animals choose to come, snuggle, and stay. Most species run away at an opportunity. The ranch has several animals, all are rescues.

Dubbe, a retriever-spaniel mix, lived to 18. While a young Air Force officer, he was my companion when trekking in the desert or pheasant hunting. He was a master of flushing pheasants, with a soft-mouth, and never lost a bird.  I had an un-air-conditioned 1951 truck with two-wheel drive and no cellphone (it had not been invented). True to breed, he would fetch the newspaper from the driveway without coaxing. If ours was not delivered, he would find a neighbors. He matured with the kids and was extremely protective. Once a trash collector came in the fenced backyard and reached over the children playing. He apologized to us that he got too close to the children and met this black-haired retriever.

After him was a particularly un-notable cocker. Apparently, the inbreeding of the wildly popular breed made this one less-than-gifted. Still, he lived for 17 years.

Then came Jackie, a most loving, gentle bull-terrier. Since we live in a rural setting, we often encounter animals that people dump with no collar. Jackie was extremely friendly, docile, tail-wagging girl with a very horrendous skin problem. When coaxed, she jumped in the truck bed. We drove her directly to our old country-vet. He checked her out and gave her less-than 30-days. We told him to do what he could. Then we sent pictures to our veterinarian son in Texas. He confirmed the diagnosis and prognosis.

Besides the precautionary treatment, he recommended a prescription dogfood with high Omega-3. Expensive! Well, if that is the trick, we gave her our human omega-3 capsules with the high-dollar dogfood, which she had the rest of her long days.   The 30-days came, she had all new hair and was healthy. Someone caring about her made the difference.

She was the best natural tracker that I, or anyone who worked with her, have ever encountered. When you put her on a leash, she went to work. She was extremely social with the cat and the other ranch dogs. I made a mistake and should have kept her for breeding. She was everything you could want. But you can’t know that with a young pup. With long age she began to have health problems. After 16-years, she walked into the woods, like thousands of times before, but did not return. She knew it was time. She has a trail renamed for her.

Tucker is a short-for-breed ‘Treeing-Walker’ hound. We were on a trip when he arrived. After three days, our daughter sent us a picture and said she was taking him to the pound. My response was no, let him stay. I cannot figure why he was abandoned. He is a striking tri-color silver and light tan, with ‘Eeyore’ ears, and incredible eyes having the pupil the same color as the iris. Invariably, the several vets he has seen have been intrigued and call him handsome hound.

My co-author calls him my therapy dog. If I get excited, he will come put his paw on my leg encouraging me to keep blood-pressure down. It is mutual. He recently had surgery to remove a nail in his stomach. No one can figure how it got down his throat. The surgery was successful, but he was not recovering for days. The vet said he was in extreme pain and would howl when moved.

We went to see him in his crate. He just laid there in a drug induced stupor. I asked if I could sit with him? Sure, anything. For two hours I sat on the floor in his crate. Ouch, my back. Then he finally relaxed with his first urinary release in three days. My co-author and I pulled his pad out to change it. He let out a howl.

The vet tech said that is what he does when we touch him. I explained he has only one voice, the baying howl of a hound on the trail. He does not have an inside voice. After a few more minutes, he struggled to sit up. Then on wobbly legs he stood up and walked with me out the backdoor to ‘get busy’. We walked a little before returning inside. The vet exclaimed “Wow, what a magic recovery. You can take him home.” There is an emotional, physical, and intellectual connection between people and their animals. In the evening after getting busy, he literally bounces down the hall for his treat.

While writing this, ‘The Tuck’ came to my desk. He has a mat by the chair. No, he wanted me to go for a walk. He has free access through a doggie door, but he presumed I needed to go. Within 300 feet of the door, he was nose down on the trail of a squirrel. That same baying howl brought our grandkids’ dogs to help. Seeing them run and play in the field of brilliant orange Indian paintbrush, bright blue spiderwort, and vivid yellow large-flowered tickseed, with Monarch butterflies flitting from the milkweed and the Indian paint brush makes the day!

Think about your relationship to critters. Dogs are pack animals and you must be the alpha dog. They respond in kind. We have taken Tucker to assisted-living facilities. His gentle nature sparks bright eyes and makes a better day for everyone. Long ago, Grandpa answered the question. Get a pup to your good health.

Send us your histories, stories, and traditions including memories or twists. We would like to bring them along.