Parker dogs I have known. . .

I was going about my chores the other afternoon. Having gotten a haircut and returned some pillows to Mary, I was on my way to Mother's to deliver a chair that had needed some minor repair work when I got a call on my cell phone from Karen. She averred that she didn't like to talk to people on the phone while they were driving, then spent the next several minutes telling me about their new puppy. (She did also mention in passing that her daughter Lisa had broken her hand.) Now, ever on the lookout for a likely blog post subject, I thought, "Family Pets! That's the ticket." I had to restrict this post to dogs, however, when I realized I only have pictures of a few of the several cats in the various Parker households, and none of the goldfish, hamsters, gerbils, parakeets, etc. So. . .

If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around.~Will Rogers

. . . please allow me to introduce the newest member of the Parker Pet Family, Sox (or Socks, I haven't requested a final determination). For the present I'll stick with Sox, a seven-year-old golden retriever / white lab mix - some puppy, Karen. Several of us decided last night at dinner the Sox didn't do too well at following commands. But this morning, after reviewing the literature about dogs, I've decided that Will Rogers' comment (above) is probably at work here. In time, I'm sure Sox will respond to commands at least as well as Lisa and Daniel always did. As seen in the photograph I took last night, Sox has already settled in nicely - precisely in the center of household traffic.

A dog can express more with his tail in seconds than his owner can express with his tongue in hours.~Author Unknown

This lovely golden retriever - a strawberry blonde if ever there was one - is Shadow, Sox predecessor, defender of the house (whether all those various cats believed it or not), and bane of swimming children - "Aunt Karen! The dog's in the pool and won't leave us alone ."

No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.~Christopher Morley

This pensive Irish terrier, Major, loves to run with Stephen or Maureen, chase squirrels (or deer if you were to hear him tell it), or bark at them if he's not free to give chase. Most of the time I spend with Major is "quiet time" when he and I relax together. He always looks so comfortable it makes me think, "What could be better than being an orange dog in an orange town, named for an orange icon? (Those Longhorn references would be: Major; Austin: and Major Applewhite - Hook 'Em Horns!)

If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat.
~Author Unknown

Angela and Danny's golden retriever, Chester, is another fine dog who has had to put up with an awful lot of feline foolishness in his life. Having grown up with a house full of cats, he realizes the importance of maintaining his status as the house dog and is always ready to launch a mock attack on the furry snobs. These events are always accompanied by a great clamor, an impressive show of teeth, and usually end with the cat conceding surrender, lying still in Chester's open mouth. It must all be great fun for him, otherwise, how could he show such restraint?

Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.
~Dave Barry

This one is Tracy's catahoula, Peso, what Danny calls a Louisiana pig dog. They are apparently bred there and in East Texas to hunt razorbacks - they'd have a field day up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I don't see much of Peso except when Tracy brings her to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners at Angela and Danny's. She always seems to be on her best behavior, intimidated by Chester's size, I think, and refusing even to acknowledge the comings and goings of the household cats.

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.
~George Eliot

We took ours in pairs. These two siblings, Mason and Allie, are a chow / black lab mix that we had in Arlington and took with us to Georgia. You can't tell from the pictures, but Mason (on the left) was easily twice as big as Allie (on the right). They're both gone now and haven't been replaced.

I like a bit of mongrel myself, whether it's a man or a dog; they're the best for everyday.
~George Bernard Shaw

This is our first pair, Dallas and Dubbo, the picture having been taken in 1982 when I was in college. Sally and I got Dallas in California in '75 while I was still in the Navy. Dallas was a traveler - rode several times all the way from Lemoore, Ca. to Grand Prairie, Tx. on my lap in the 240Z. Then, when I learned to fly, I'd take her with me in the aero club's Cessna 150's or the Piper Cherokees. My buddies in the control tower referred to her as "Dallas the Flying Dog" and never failed to ask whether she was aboard.

Dubbo, Dallas' pup, was born in Texas in 1978 after I had gotten out of the Navy. She moved to Austin with us in '79. Her big adventure was escaping from the yard with Dallas one day. Dallas returned about four hours later and we didn't find Dubbo until six months later when she returned to us. She died in Austin in late '82. Dallas moved with us to Georgia and then to Arlington and died there in 1989 after 14 years.

***

This hagiology doesn't cover Karen and Richard's black lab, Houston, who lived with them in the early 80's, Paul and Lee's dogs: Alex (boxer), Maggie (golden), and Sasha (golden), or Melissa and Blake's shih-zhu, Sammy. Hey, what could I do - no pics!

Rather than dump the unused result of my morning's research on literary dog references, I leave you with the following:

A cat, after being scolded, goes about its business. A dog slinks off into a corner and pretends to be doing a serious self-reappraisal.~Robert Brault

Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning.~Norman Strung

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really.~Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.~Corey Ford

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them.~Phil Pastoret

The dog is a yes-animal, very popular with people who can't afford to keep a yes-man.~Robertson Davies

The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog.~Ambrose Bierce

I wonder what goes through his mind when he sees us peeing in his water bowl.~Penny Ward Moser

And, of course,Happiness is a warm puppy.~Charles M. Schulz