We always had a dog when i was a kid.My Dad always had to have at least one dog. Most of them were German Shepherds named Lobo.We also had Fido,Rusty,Mugs,spot,Tippy, Queenie and Donchie. I'm sure there were others, but i can't remember them all right now.
When i was very young we had a dog named half-a-de-medio. ( I think thats how you spell it ) Yup thats right that was his name.I don't know who gave him that name, but for some reason i think it was Dad. His color was half black and half white, thus the name Halfademedio. My memory might not be entirely correct, because i was very young at the time, but what i remember about this dog was that he was small like a terrier.And he had an attitude. At the time we were living in a house right next to the levee.The house was owned by this farmer who kept these razor back pigs on our property. Every once in awhile these pigs would break out of their pen and head straight for the chicken coop and go on a rampage. Whenever this happened, us kids had to run for the house because those pigs were considered very dangerous.I remember being scared half to death by these pigs numerous times. My Dad,the farmer and others would come and herd them back into their pen. No easy task. After they got them back we would come out and play again. There was this one time when they broke out and Halfademedio went after them. Sad to say, but those pigs got a hold of him, and each one grabbed a leg and tore him right in half. Don't mean to sound cruel but i guess he lived up to his name. After that i remember throwing rocks at those pigs every time i went by their pen, and i wasn't the only one. I think all that did was make them meaner. I never really cared for that place. I was glad when we moved. I don't remember where we moved when we left that ranch. We were always moving somewhere in the general area of Colusa.
I remember one time i was going to my grandma's house at the Colonia. I was about 7 or 8 at the time, and my Tio had this dog called stubby. It was part Doberman Pincher, but it was small. That had to be the meanest dog ever, well in my eyes he was. I was on one of my typical outings to Gramma's house. I walked up to the front gate and this dog comes charging the gate and jumps at it like he wanted to tear me up. You ever see the movie where the little native kid is being chased by this big gigantic lion, well that's how i felt. Man i was booking it down the street and screaming the whole time. Not till i got home did i realize that the dog couldn't get out of the gate. Thank god my Tio locked the gate. I had the ultimate respect for my Tio, but i had no use for that dog of his. My Tio always used to laugh at us because we were afraid of his dog , but that dog was no laughing matter for any of us. Another time in my preteens, i was walking home from my friend Danny's house and i got to this house that i knew there was a dog that was real mean, so when i get to the house i jump up on the fence so he can't get me. Well i'm up on the fence and this darn dog's trying to get me, and i'm laughing at him and wouldn't you just know it, my foot slips and i fall and straddle the fence, and yes i crushed my little nuggets. Now i'm sitting there, crushed nuggets and all and this stupid dog's still trying to get me and i look at him and say, get away from me you stupid @$#%& dog or i'll kill you. Well the dog stops barking at me and just walks away. At the time i really believe i could have killed that dog and he knew it.
Our dogs usually ate the leftovers from what we ate. Every once in awhile they would get a can of dog food but that didn't happen too often. They never had any shots what so ever, and they were never licensed.They were always very healthy. They were never tied up, and they never bit anybody. They would protect us though, it seemed like they knew who our friends were. The dogs had the run of the neighborhood. And nobody ever complained about them. I've owned a few dogs but, i'm not that good with them. It's just that i know that you have to be good to a dog,I don't believe a dog should be penned up, they need to get out and go for a walk once in awhile. It's almost like raising a child. Maybe i'll get one later, but for now i don't think so. They say a dog is a man's best friend, O.k, o.k. and a women's too, thats so true. Once a dog becomes your friend, he's a friend for life.
