Rio Dog Remembers

My saviors named me Rio because they found me near a river in north Louisiana. I am part Catahoula and Pointer. I am the eldest member of the mixed tribe of four cats and two dogs that lives in the house on Hummingbird Hill. Three chickens live outside in a coop and I am not allowed to chase them.

My life has been long and happy since my man and woman found me on that cold day in December, injured and hungry, near the house where they were visiting. My litter mates and I had been cast out, to fend for ourselves. We were young pups and I was the only one to survive.

After I sat in the sun looking up at the statue of St. Francis, they brought me to their house and cared for me and nursed me back to health. Each day, they would leave me alone in the house. I missed them so much that I would scratch at the door until they came home, but I never had an accident in the house.

On weekends we would all go to the country (even the two cats). Once there I would run down to the river and swim in it. My man and woman were happy on the weekends, but not so happy when we went back to the city. After a while, we all moved to our country paradise and that is where we now live.

They tell me that I will soon be fourteen years old. I once was able to easily keep this rowdy brood in line. Now the little Cocker Spaniel, 2nd Chance, growls and is often very disagreeable with everyone, even the humans who rescued him. He doesn't listen when I bark at him to stop.

His behavior has improved since he first came to live with us, but it needs to improve much more. He is really bad when she tries to clip him. She has to give him pills to calm him down and he still fights and growls.

My lady gets so upset with him that it makes her sad. I try to comfort her. She likes to play ball with me, so I get my best toy and give it to her. She throws it up and I catch it and she laughs.

The little clown, Dax Cat, also keeps things lively. He wrote his own hub about the other feline members of our tribe.

He is always inventing new ways to sneak out of the door. The latest one is to get on the other side of me, so my lady can't see him and then bolt out when she opens the door. He thinks that it's all a great game and then scurries off into the bushes. I usually try to keep an eye on him and I show my lady where he is hiding.

He also likes to play in the bath tub with his toy mouse. Sometimes it sounds like thunder when he jumps and runs in there. I have to go investigate. I don't like thunder.

My man rescued Second Chance, the Cocker Spaniel, from an abusive situation, after my good friend, Chance the first (a nice Cocker Spaniel), was hit by a car.

I ran through the woods chasing the animal that day, too, but I saw the car. My man and lady did not know how bad Chance's eyes were getting. We were supposed to be relieving ourselves while the man watched, but Chance got a scent and ran all the way up to the front through the thick woods. I miss Chance.

When I was young and Chance the first was here, we would sneak off and go on great adventures. After the last one, my lady made him wear a leash when we went into the woods every day. I always try to obey, so I would be able to walk with them and sometimes follow the scents. My man wouldn't let her put a leash on me unless there was danger, like a cottonmouth.

They needn't worry, though, because I knew how to handle those snakes. I use my feign jump forward and back technique to make them go back into the water. I was bitten once when I was learning about snakes, but Dr. Rusty told my people to give me something called Benadryl and it didn't swell or hurt.

I still like to walk down the road to the river. On cool days I can trot like always, but in the heat, I go a little slower. The swim in the river is worth the walk. The running water massages my soreness and cools me off. I always enjoyed a good swim, even in winter. After my swim, I lay in the big screen house on my pillow while the lady feeds the birds and checks the black box on the tree that takes pictures.

I wish we could walk to the river more often these days. The exercise helps my soreness and it keeps me fit. My lady says that it is too hot and it is. On the cooler days we walk. On other days I swim in the creek by the house and I sleep on my special pillows in the house, if Dax doesn't get there first.

I almost forgot to tell you about the chickens. They live outside in a coop, but my lady lets them out to run around in the afternoon. They are silly birds. They all run to one spot in the yard, then another. She makes me put a leash on when they are out of the coop, just because I jumped at them once or twice. I wouldn't hurt them, that's how I play, but she says she doesn't want to take any chances.

Thank you, my lady and my man, for rescuing me when I was abandoned so many years ago. I am a happy dog because you welcomed me to share your life.

I hope that other humans will open their hearts and their homes to my bretheran who suffer similar circumstances as I did, almost fourteen year ago.

I urge any human who wishes to share their life with one of my kind, to adopt one who is homeless. I am told that there are shelters and that also Dr. Rusty and other Vets often have puppies and kittens that do not have homes. That is how we came to adopt Dax the Orange Cat.

Thank you, other fine humans, for reading my humble story.
Rio Dog
King of Hummingbird Hill