The "I Want Some Fresh Tomatoes From a Roadside Farmer", edition

iPod shuffled to "I'll Be Around", The Spinners. Summer of '72?  It's a good memory song. :-).  Wow, I didn't realize the Spinners worked with Thom Bell. He was also with The Stylistics, among others.  I'll look him up later. Today I'm going to talk about dogs. My dogs!  I've had 4 dogs since I was 10 years old. They are Victor, Maury, Clark and Jade. Cool names,eh?  I am an only child (asterisk - I have a brother 9.5 years older than me <3). A teacher suggested to mom I should have a dog.

The summer when I was 10, I went to camp for the first time. The bribe was a dog. Lol. I enjoyed camp so it was a win-win for me ;-). When mom and dad picked me up, a little black poodle was waiting for me !!!  I must add that in every letter I wrote back home, I asked if they got the dog.  My black mini-toy poodle in his bed basket and I sat in the backseat.  I was asked what I wanted to name him. I enthusiastically offered up Blackie - lol.  It was rejected with an explanation that the dog was AKC registered and would need a more "fitting" name.   French names (more or less) were offered. Pierre, Andre, Alexander, Charles.  Ohh, I liked Charles. It was rejected (bah why bring it up to reject it).  Why was it rejected?  The next door neighbor's name was Charles. Mom and dad didn't think that would go over well. "Charles, here Charles, come here, boy ". Lol. Yeah.  Somehow we ended up with Victor Dumas. 

:-)

"Mind Blowing Decisions", Heatwave.  Come on, who didn't like Heatwave?  Victor grew up with me. Oh yeah, mini-toy doesn't mean he's smaller than a toy poodle.  It means one of his parent as was a miniature poodle and one was a toy poodle. He was larger than a toy, but smaller than a miniature. Lol I could write an entire blog on each dog. Victor had heart problems. He was on Inderol and a diuretic. He died of a heart attack when I was 21. :(. But I have great memories of my first dog. 

The next dog was Maury. He was really my mom's dog. He was also a black mini-toy poodle and as different from Victor as possible. Victor was a sweetheart and a perfect dog for a kid. We called Maury demon dog. Lol. In every single photo of him, his eyes are red!!  He really wasn't pleasant if he didn't like you. Lol. He's the one that gave little poodles the bad rep. 

Brian and I got Clark about 3 months after we got married. Clark was a big white standard poodle. Clark as a young puppy was larger than Maury. We got treated the phenomenon of the younger dog submitting to the older dog. Maury cowed Clark. Lol. When mom and dad moved to Las Vegas, we got Maury. So I had a 2 year old standard poodle, a 10 year old demon dog little poodle and a 1 month old baby!! Good times, good times.  Lol. Oh did I mention we lived in a 2 bedroom bungalow?  Good times. :-D

Clark had to be put down. If dogs get Alzheimer's, he had it. Clark lost his mind. Lol. He jumped on the counter and got a cake. I also found him on top of the dining room able looking for food.  He did also have some medical issues.  We were living with crazy dog, but couldn't over come the medical issues. We replaced Clark within about 6 weeks.  We let Shawn pick the breed because we wanted the new dog to be hers.  Clark saw Shawn as a sibling, the beta sibling, at that!  

Shawn selected West Highland White Terrier (Westie) because it was cute. Of course. Had I known about terriers in advance I wouldn't have got the dog....at that time.  "Sun Goddess", Ramsey Lewis and Earth Wind And Fire. Freshman year at University of Michigan. :)  Shawn and I picked up the dog in Howell. On the way home I asked her (10 year old Shawn) what she wanted to name the dog.  Lol. It was almost the same exercise I had with my parents when I was 10. She finally selected Jade. We just named a white dog "Green". Rofl. 

Jade is a joy.  She is clearly different from a poodle. Another's difference is she is the first female dog we've had. She seems sweeter. And empathetic. I am positive she knew I was sick. She would just rest on my lap and it was calming.  When I came home from the hospital, she stayed with me, guarding the bedroom - from what or who, I don't know lol.  Yes, it's true, at least for me, Jade was instrumental in my recovery. :-)  She's 12 now and has some health challenges. The vet is keeping an eye on her. She's slowed down, but her quality of life is still good. She still barks at the mailman and still plays a good game of tug. <3.  And she is loved by her "pack". She knows it and wold have it no other way. A lap, a pat on the head, or belly rub is always available when she comes looking for it.  We are so trained. Lol!!

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Photos of poodles and Jade. Signing off with "Check it Out", The Tavares.  / swoon.