Tonzo

I got my first dog back in August of 2009, the same day I sold my bottle calf.  He was a little black and brown boy, supposedly part Wired Haired Fox Terrier and part Australian Shepherd, but never looked like either one.  He only grew up to the size of a small dog, but always acted bigger.  Ever since Dad brought him home, my dog acted abused.  He hardly wagged his tail, never played with toys, and disliked getting his picture taken--but I managed to get quite a few of him.  It was odd, too, for he was a puppy when we got him.  But, I liked him the best I could and named him Tonzo.

He loved anything with four tires and was instantly addicted to riding in the back of the pickup to check the cattle and such.  Sadly, he didn't get to go as often because he couldn't jump into the back of the pickup by himself.  The tailgate had to be put down, and that added time to everything, so he stayed home most of the time.  One time we borrowed a Ranger and Tonzo fell in love with it.  He could jump into it by himself and went on many rides on that thing.  When it came time to return it, he jumped on to the trailer and wouldn't come down.  He would have loved it if we had bought a Ranger.

A few times he was allowed on cattle moves.  That's when he really acted like a puppy!  He would prance along behind the cows acting just like a cow dog.  (We guess the herding instinct came from his Australian Shepherd side.)  He always backed off when the cows turned on him, but quickly moved back to his spot after they turned around.  Sometimes he barked, but never did any harm.

When one year of owning Tonzo passed, I made homemade dog treats for him.  That was another time when he acted happy--when he was fed.  He was the kind of dog that ate everything and hardly tasted it.  He just swallowed anything he ate.  It's amazing he didn't choke more than he did.  I remember when we had brought in some tomato plants and Tonzo found them.  I never thought a dog would eat tomatoes straight from the plant...or any way really.  He also like hard corn, the stuff you feed chickens.   

Whenever it snowed, he would run around crazy with our old dog, Belvedere.  Tonzo had this way of rolling where, if the snow was hard enough, he could slide down the hill on his back.  Much laughter came from us as we watched.  Also, whenever I went sledding, he would run up and bite my gloves as if to keep me from sliding down the hill.  He grabbed my shoestrings when I rode my bike as well.

Tonzo enjoyed the company of cats and almost always had a cat follower behind or beside him.  Really, he wasn't much bigger than them.

Last year, when I was tossed from my horse, Tonzo was the first to my side.  He was such a cuddly dog.  It wasn't until last year (or some time around then) that I really figured out my dog.  He was so different from all other dogs I've been around.  Everyone who knew of Tonzo knew that he wasn't normal.  He just didn't get excited until he could go on a walk with Dad or travel in the pickup.  But it was frustrating at times.  For example, I would want to pet him, so I called him in a chipper voice.  He would lay down, you know, where the head's on the ground and the only movement are the eyes.  I felt bad for him.  He thought he was in trouble every time I called.  So back to figuring him out last year...I found out he was a lap dog.  Some evenings I'd sit outside, just to comfort the little dog.  And he seemed to like it.   

Though good habits out numbered the bad, he wasn't a perfect dog.  Upon getting our third dog, Lightning, he began running off with her.  Waking up on mornings and going outside to find only Belvedere and no "younger dogs" was very irritating!  We could hardly catch them in the process of running away, so they kept sneaking  out.  Who knows what they did while exploring.  We tried tying them up which seemed to help, at least they showed up for breakfast most mornings.  But they never fully learned to stay home day and night. 

On the 9th, we left around 6:30 p.m. to visit our grandma.  All three dogs were at home and barked at us as we drove away.  When we returned that night, only Belvedere and Lightning met us.  We thought nothing of it; sometimes Tonzo didn't greet us because he was either cold or sleeping.  But when the next morning rolled around and he still didn't show up we began to worry.  Lightning is faster than Tonzo and has been known to reach home after running off before Tonzo.  But the day proceeded on and still, Tonzo didn't show up.  He's not known to miss his breakfast.  By evening, I couldn't stand it anymore and took Lightning out for a walk in the pasture, thinking that perhaps she would lead me to Tonzo.  Maybe he was stuck in a hole somewhere or was injured.  Mom had went for a walk a few minutes before, but had found nothing.

Right after crossing the cattle guard into the pasture, Lightning ran off in the southern direction.  I could tell she was sensing something, so I followed the best I could in flip-flops while eating a popsicle.

We reached the top of one hill and then the bottom of it, until we had topped one last hill.  There I saw a brown spot.  Lightning was approaching it with care and didn't rush to it.  My heart fell.  Tears hit my eyes and I ran to the brown spot.  There laid my dog.  Lightning jumped back when I came close, but I called her back to tell her how good she was.  Without her leading me, I wouldn't have found him that easily.  Sobbing hard, I unlatched the blue collar on Tonzo's neck.  All I had done with my first dog flashed before my mind and the memories didn't help me control my crying.  

While telling Lightning "good girl" and petting her, I looked the deceased dog over.  It appeared he had keeled over.  He was lying on a cow trail and looked as if to be running.  No ground was disturbed like he had suffered.  He wasn't bleeding except for his nose.  He just died.

It was a surprise to the family and within a few minutes, we all five headed up to the hill where Tonzo died.  There we buried him and told little memories to each other.  We had thought Tonzo was going to live like Belvedere, who is now 14 years old, but we thought wrong.  Tonzo would have been five this year.

Red ferns don't grow in this part of Oklahoma, but elm trees do, so we are considering planting one near Tonzo.  There are many more memories Tonzo gave us, but I just wanted to give you a few.  Thanks for taking the time to read about this.  : )