A dog has a really unique family and set of relatives: He has his canine family and he has his human family. And then he has his adoptive human family.
It was a long long time ago when I had my first human family. So long ago I really don’t recall.
But last week when I met Gramps, when he stepped out of his car in front of our home and came through the gate and into our backyard, I knew right away he and I had a connection. A very strong connection and bond. I don’t “remember” him but at the same time he knew just how to play with me, just how to talk to me, and I knew right away we were on the same side of the fence! It’s like he had known me forever!
And he had!
And then Debra came over to me when I was wagging my tail at the fence looking at everybody who was on the other side of the fence, talking, being happy. When I was a newborn puppy, Debra was my big human sister. Then I grew and grew. I grew so big that when Debra saw me last week, after ten years, she hardly recognized little “Big Ears”, as she had named me when I was born. Of course I don’t remember growing, but there we were again.
And see my first Grandma? She and Gramps owned my mother, Cocoa. They owned her, and loved her, and took care of her when she was healthy and when she was sick. She and Gramps and Debra were also there with me right when I was born. Before I became known to Debra as “Big Ears” and long before I became known as “Joey”. (And maybe they will write about when I was born!)
I love my whole entire first family.
You can see this in our “first family” portrait.
And once again I have to say that I am a lucky dog!
Hello Joey,
Pam & I are very glad to find you and learn of your recover from the accident. We are your Grandparents. Your Mom, Cocoa, was our dog. She was a great dog who was loved bu us and the entire neighborhood.
We just got back from a visit to Waban where we spant time with your sister, Rosie, and her family. She sure is a sweetie. One of your other sisters, Strikie, is the one we kept with us after your Mom died. Sadly, she made the same mistake on a street that you did, but she didn’t survive. We hope you have learned to be more careful with streets and cars. That will keep you healthy.
We hope to see you one of these days.
The Tolhursts
Dear Grandparents,
This is a really great surprise! Especially since my parents just picked me up from the kennel, where I was staying for a while, and my family is back together, and my whole larger family too! Learning about my mom, Cocoa, is the best news. My mom was your dog and that means that I was your dog for a while too! I don’t remember being a puppy but people keep telling me I was. In fact, my dad reminds me of it all the time…He says, “Joey, you sit cockeyed. You think you’re a puppy but you’re really a large dog.” Then he says, “You probably sit cockeyed because your mom died so young and didn’t teach you how to sit properly!”
My mom says my sister Rosie sits cockeyed too!
Dear grandparents, it would be wonderful to meet you, again!
I’m sorry to hear about Strikie. It was a great joy for me to meet Rosie, after ten years, and it is sad to hear about my other sister.
Have I learned to be more careful with streets and cars? I have learned some, but my parents have learned more. They have learned not to trust that I will not go into the street. They have learned that I need to get a lot of activity not only in the morning, when I run with my dad, but also in the afternoon, when my mom takes me to the dog park where I can run free and also make friends with other dogs, or to walks with my sister Rosie, or walking around our town for longer distances. They have learned that my sense of smell is very very strong and that I will follow a scent and occasionally forget that the street is there and that in the street are cars that could hurt me.
I hope to see you one of these days too! This is a great day and that will be a great day too!
Your happy grandson,
Joey
Hi Joey,
Yes, good point…you were our dog for a while, as were all of Cocoa’s babies. I remember the fun you puppies had racing at full speed chasing each other on the grass of our front yard and zooming around the flower garden and retaining wall. That made for a nice oval race course for all of you. We had fun watching you and your brothers and sisters, too. You pups were fast! I’ll have to look, we may have some video of all of you running there.
You probably don’t remember, but one of the small trees next to our front door became a favorite chewing spot for all of you. That poor tree didn’t like getting chewed on but you should know it has recovered fully and is in fine shape. You guys were a lot of work, but tons of fun, too. I know we have some photos and video from those days, I’ll have to dig them out so you and your family can see.
Bye for now,
Gramps
Gramps,
No, I don’t remember eating the small tree next to your front door, but my dad always says that I used to eat up the window sills! He also said I used to eat small trees in our back yard! So I guess that runs in the family, too. Then I stopped eating small trees and suddenly, like you said, trees started growing in our back yard. He’ll be happy that your tree is now in fine shape!
We we a lot of work? I still am. So I hear. I’m glad you had fun with me. I think I had a good beginning in my life. I’m a happy dog!
I’m sure my family would love to see photos and videos of me as a puppy, especially my mom because she never saw me as a puppy at all.
And Gramps, I’m still pretty fast! I beat my mom all the time! Before I was hit by the car, I used to beat my dad, too. Now I beat him for the first 20 minutes then I slow down and he keeps on going and gets ahead of me. But that’s okay. I’m still pretty happy about it.
Lots of love to you!
Your grandson,
Joey
Hi Joey,
Last month I told you I thought we have videos of you and your brothers and sisters as puppies. Well, I want you to know I’ve checked and we sure do! In fact, there is video of Cocoa delivering you, the 9th (and last) pup of her litter! There is lots of other good stuff, too – you pups still with your eyes closed crawling all over each other to get to Cocoa’s milk, romping and playing, sleeping, and running around our front yard.
Your Mom and I have been corresponding about these tapes and I’ll be geting copies made for her soon. You’ll be able to see your own birth!
Love,
Gramps
Gramps,
This is great news! I get to see my mom, and me, and how I came into the world. Me with eyes closed? I guess I was smelling a lot. And I still do use my sense of smell a lot! And I still romp and play and sleep, of course.
I love you too, Gramps!
Joey
How wonderful that you got to meet your first human family. What a special group of people. Lucky you.
Your friends,
Lisa, Indy, Lily, Minnie & Thomasina
(you have to guess which name belongs to the none-feline)
((()))
I’m not so good with names. It takes me years to figure out who goes with what name! Still, my Dad says “Go to Jane” and I walk around and around. Then he’ll say “Jane. Jane”. And I’ll eventually get to my mom. He can hardly believe it. But I think I finally have that one figured out. So with all your names, I’m stuck! But either way, it’s really nice of you all to write to me!
unique relationship between dog and human