I lied. Or at least misspoke. In an earlier post I said I couldn’t think of anything we did for fun in Fayetteville. I thought of a good one today. We bought the kids ( mainly Jim) a doggie. In December of 1978, we surprised Jim, Christine and Jeffrey with a puppy for Christmas. A female chow/poodle mix.

Jim actually asked for a doggie for Christmas, but we/I decided she would be a family dog. Little did I know, she would latch herself to me and, likewise, I would become hers. Teddi was definitely my dog. I did the daily walking and most of the feeding. The kids had chores, such as picking up after her in the yard. They called that poo poo patrol. ( or something like that).
She wasn’t the easiest dog to walk, cause she liked to pull ahead and not heal. We decided obedience training would be a good idea. Christine was the stuckee to work with her during training. She hated it and so did Teddi. Not a success. Eventually, she mellowed and stopped pulling so much. (Teddi, that is).

Teddi was very much a family member. I certainly appreciated the fact that when I came home from work she was the only creature in the house that ran to the door to welcome me.
Of course, I was the one to spoil her too Marjorie often said when I went to the fridge she could see six feet/paws under the fridge door, my two and Teddi’s four.

Teddi was with us for 15 years. From Christmas, 1978 until 1993. Early that year, I noticed a lump on her side near her rear legs. I also noticed she was having trouble moving.
A trip to the vet bore very bad tidings. She was diagnosed with an inoperable malignancy. That wasn’t quite my worst day.
I gave that honor to the day I drove Teddi back to the vet for her to be put down. I cried all the way there. I didn’t have the guts to stay for her put down. I said good bye and left her there. They took care of the rest.
Margie and I felt terrible for many days after. I do believe the kids were away at school and I kept my grief from them. They may have a different recollection.

That grief kept us from ever having another dog. We did finally get a cat, Nicole, several years later. After 13 years she too needed to be put down. That’s the terrible part of the wonderful experience of loving a pet.
Our current cat, Ziva, is only two years old and will live forever, I hope. She and Nicole brought much love and some excitement to our relatively quiet lives. Enuf .