The dogs in my life

Beebee always in the middle of everything.

Dulci in her last days.
Even getting along with Iggy.

Oliver the quintessential guarder of the flock. and Lap dog.

Ole Man has made a huge turnaround. He is a fast learner.
Twice I've considered sending him on,
after he ate a couple of chickens. But he's learned.
He just needed a little training.

Beebee! She is a goofy dog.
Likes to play with turkeys.

oliver always diligently watching over things.

My Dulci, Her last years here!

Breeze died a few days after this photo.
She truly was the best dog i ever owned.

ahhh Pablo. The rascally wabbit of the bunch.
I never could keep him in the property.
he's buried on the property where he used to dig and escape.

Old man and Beebee playing when she first got here.
OM is very gentle with her. Even now.

Funny how I write all the time about the NEW animals. But really it all started with dogs, found dogs, and cats, myriad of them. I can't even add them all up there have been so many.

As the career started in Miami, i used to drive the 30 miles to work on I-95. In those years I can't tell you how many times i was the one that stopped in the middle of it to catch a stray dog. Or on one of the side streets, or running under over passes. Or found them at the beach, in the parks,or worse in garbage cans. YES! i remember driving down a quiet little street in "the roads" as it was fondly called, and heard from my cute little volkswagon beetle, meowing. I was with a bunch of friends, all yelling don't stop, we're late! but it did. And we found 6 day old kittens. 2 dead. 4 survived. 1 I kept. She is still with me today. 17 years old.

Back to dogs( me and going off on tangents) My first REAL dog of my own was Freshbreeze what a perfect dog. An English Springer Spaniel. NEVER a mistake. Never tempramental. I can't recall one bad thing about her. As a matter of fact she licked and helped me take care of those rascally kittens. From Breeze came Dulcinaya. My old boyfriend wanted to "breed" i was too young and stupid to fight him on it. So out came a litter of the nastiest, meanest, troubled, unhealthy, inbred group of Springer Spaniels in the universe. And i got the runt. I found out later that all the dogs were vicious in some way. Even mine. most had physical ailments, skin problems, hip problems, meanness, etc. Even mark the ex, had one that he finally put down since he need plastic surgery where his dog bit his face...FOR almost 7 years of her life i had her muzzled. It was a difficult time but i loved her. And she and breeze finally made peace when we moved out here. Luck would have it that dulci felt better and the muzzle came off. So that last 3 years were good for her. and she and breeze both died of old age.

Pablo came into my life quite flamboyantly. HE was found trolling on Biscayne blvd where i used to work at Tinsley Advertising. Where the most traffic accidents happen right on the corner of Biscayne and Miami Avenues are closest. I was out smoking a cig and saw this little black bullet weaving in and out of the traffic. OY! I ran inside got a few co-workers and we proceeded to try and catch him. Stopping traffic for at least 10 minutes. ha! if you know the area you know how much they hated me that day. First thing Pablo did? peed on the door to my bosses office. I tried to find his family. I put up ads. brought him to work everyday, no avail. So this little rascal stayed. i called him Pablo for obvious reasons, but most importantly, because he would NOT listen, I used to tell people he doesn't speak no english!


Oliver my little orphan.. Not so little any more. We found each other up in Ocala. he was dumped at a campground i was staying at. Of course, bored (i was without animals) he migrated to me. In no uncertain terms, my roommates declared was he NOT going to come in the cabin... evil chortle. Ok, that lasted one night. 2 nights later all my roommates couldn't figure out why they itched so bad. They blamed it on bed bugs. I knew it was from Oliver's fleas. He was hiding under the bed. The day came for me to leave. I planned on leaving him. Because my friends would not let me put him in the truck. But miraculously, a dog crate appeared. So he got in it. And well the rest is history. My friends never appreciated that the dog had to stay in the cab on the 5 hour drive home. I was NOT going to put him in the back of the pickup... Those friends came to visit once, Oliver wasn't too nice to them. I wonder why.

Old man!!! well we called him that because he was old, and looked so awful. he had escaped a few times, collar embedded in his neck and so on. So sad! I knew he must have come from the neighborhood. He came for the last time right after one of the hurricanes, I think Francis. My neighbors would shoo him away. But back he came. And there he would sit on the road in front of my house. patiently waiting for--i don't know what. I'm not sure who found who in this instance. I already had dulci/breeze/pablo and oliver. I DID NOT NEED ANOTHER DOG. So i opened the gate, and he ran in. And he's never left...I was trapped. I found out he was owned by a man 3 streets over. He said good riddance, said he can't believe that dog is good for anything. He has no idea what a gem he is. Loves me to death. And is never far from my side. It goes to show you its not the dog but the owner who makes a good dog. He really is a gem!

Oliver and Old man have had a few jealousy issues. But alas, they work it out. One gets my days in the house, the other gets the nights in the house. They are both the protectors of me. My flock. They ward off strangers. They keep me safe. The keep coons and other dogs out. And Jehovah witnesses... :)

Beebee came to me by accident. Pablo died a mysterious death. I think a neighbor poisoned him. BUt i missed his little rascally ways. Small dog with a big punch. What a character. So when i saw Beebee i said what the heck. Lets see if she can be part of the clan. I only had old man and oliver at this point. She was at home #3 in 6 months. So sad, too. I figure i will take her and this might / could be her last home. That was last year! She is still going strong, never thinking a little PUG (mix boston- BUGG) would be able to survive and keep up with the big boys. But she has. She too! sleeps in the house. UGH! and she has claimed MY BED as her hiding spot for things. I must take apart the bed nightly because you never know what she has hidden in the folds of the covers. She is definetely a rascal.

So there you have it. For the record, NO MORE DOGS! Yeah, right i know.