January 2014 – Malia Plevney

Animals just have a way of touching a person’s heart.

Like a normal routine I headed north to see how my father was doing, except this saturday I was heading to the duck club afterward to visit over night
with friends and my husband Daniel.
I wanted to touch bases and see how things were going and what
changes were happening after our mothers death.

Our mother Beatrice Plevney loved life, she grew plants year round,
raised birds, domestic animals, and
farm animals like a pet pig, that also was house train, believe or not.

She left four dogs at the time of her passing, one was stolen, one of my fathers friends home Bucky,
my younger sister home a little guy named Killer, and then there was the pup.
That our father called “That dam dog”.

The first time I saw Pup, was with my mother when Pup wasn’t
old enough to leave the brood. Plus, my mother was given first choice.

When we arrived at my sons home all the pups were up by the house,
except this one puppy whom wander off on his own, down by the road.
Mom swept her hand under the pups belly, she gently cuddle the dog as
she looked at his markings and four white feet, she knew that Pup was going to be even-tempered just by watching him.
She just knew, he was the one.

So, there I was standing in front of my dad, after Ruban and John, shared some important updates. “That dam dog”, my dad would grump about,
“he chews up my morning newspaper,”
“he digs holes to get under the house,”
“I got a barking ticket,” John, intruded in defense of the pup, saying
“All that pup needs is a little love. Pup and Bucky don’t bark,”
” it’s the dog across the street.”
For a brief moment it was quite, than my father added
” He’s not even a good watch dog!.”

My dad was tired, dealing with his cancer, and mothers passing,
also I could see clearly, what the pup was doing
so I offered to find him a home.

I asked Ruban to help me load Pup, into the jeep.
The pup was so skittish with me, I jump one way
and he would jump the other. He wasn’t wearing a
collar so Ruban made a quick fix which allowed us
to secure him in the back while I leave the window down for him.

So off to the Butte City Hunting Club, me and
the dirty scared pup in the back, at night.
This pup was so quiet I stop the car, walk around the back
and look in, he didn’t budge. I just knew the pup was dead.
I reached through the opening to touch him, he jumped so fast,
I jumped pulling my arm out at the same time. I felt like my
heart was in my throat. The pup never barked, not a sound,
just stillness. I left him alone, got in the car, and talked to
myself, sang songs to the Pup while we traveled.

Cell phones were a new thing, and didn’t work in several open range areas yet, so there was no way to let Daniel know in advance,
“who was coming to dinner” but I knew we had an available dog kennel by the trailer site.
Now was the moment to move Pup from jeep to kennel, talking during the trip helped, the pup just watched me. I didn’t rush, he didn’t jump.
I could reach for the line and touch him.
Pup, was clueless to the dog house and a kennel, but things worked out
for the best, at least I thought so.

Before Pup and I settled in, a lively group of men were coming our way
and Daniel Gamba was among them, loudly they shared their day adventure, laughing about one another.
As they neared the kennel, one man yelled out
“Whats this Danny, your new hunting dog.” “What is that?” another gentleman rushed toward the cage to see the dog,
quickly the pup rushed to run away slamming
himself into the corner of the pen.
The men stop, not a word was said, then in unison they laugh louder than
before, suddenly I heard
“Hey, Danny, that’s no hunting dog, that’s a mutt”,
they continued razing Daniel. Another holler
” You can’t make that a hunting dog, you need one like mine” One razz after another, until Daniel turned around laughing again with the guys, he fired back the dog jokes, while they all continue on to the club house, with something new to joke about.

The next following morning Daniel and I just happen to be standing
near the dog pen visiting, when a loose dog was roaming around and came
over to the kennel, suddenly the pup lunged into the wire trying to get
the passing dog, protecting his territory. Without words being said
out loud, both of us just looked at each other.