For the Love of Our Dog Brownie: Vol 1

By Gregory Lamberty

RICKY'S DOG PACK: COME TO US TO FIND YOUR NEW FURRY FAMILY MEMBER. WE HAVE A LARGE VARIETY OF ADORABLE PUPS!

Our furry friend came from Ricky's. He gave her the name Rebecca. She had an Australian shepherd mother, a dachshund father, and was one of seven

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greg Lamberty
• Release date: Aug 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578906041

Gregory Lamberty

Greg was born in the 1950s. He was educated in Catholic schools graduating with a B.A. in history from Loyola University of Chicago in 1972. He returned to school in the mid 1970s and received a B.S. in geography from Northern Illinois University in 1977. After working in the railroad industry for 10 years, Greg returned to school again to pursue a career in meteorology. Greg gratuated from Purdue University with a M.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences in 1991. Greg joined the National Weather Service in 1992 and retired in 2013 in Columbia South Carolina. He now lives in Bonners Ferry with his wife Colleen and their dog Finny.

Book preview

For the Love of Our Dog

Brownie

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel

are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

FOR THE LOVE OF OUR DOG BROWNIE Copyright © 2021 by Gregory Lamberty

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter

whatsoever

Without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

ISBN 9780578906034 (soft cover)

ISBN 9780578906041 (ebook)

For the Love of Our Dog Brownie

Gregory Lamberty

Dedication

To Jesus Christ Our Savior and Lord

The Builder of All Creation and Friend of Man and Dogs

Acknowledgements

Grateful acknowledgement is made first to my lovely wife Colleen for her support and suggestions in the crafting of this work and for her expert training of the real Brownie. I also thank Suzanne Holland my editor for her knowledge in writing young adult fiction. I also thank the Idaho Writers League for listening to my readings and guiding me in the craft of writing.

One

On a stormy August afternoon, Veterinarian Dr. Robert Johnson announced, That’s the last one. Boy is she little!

The veterinarian delivered the message to owners Tim and Martha Smith between lightning strikes and thunder claps from the storm raging outside. Fluffy’s seven puppies arrived in the clean and bright birthing room of the Smith’s breeding barn, while outside, heavy rain, hail, and a howling wind pelted the building.

Tim and Martha Smith’s Australian shepherds breeding barn sat in a sea of lush green corn stalks standing ten-feet tall. The greenery hid itself in the driving rain and hail.

Every delivery Dr. Johnson assisted before this day brought him joy. Each one displayed the unique characteristics which filled his heart with wonder at God’s creative genius.

These dogs were unlike any he had ever delivered, though. All but the runt, weighed about a pound each. They came in a variety of colors, black with a brown undercoat, red with a white undercoat, light brown with a white under coat, or a mixture of these colors. Each had unique markings.

However, their bodies were somewhat longer than that of a normal Australian shepherd puppy. Their legs were shorter too, like those of a dachshund, but they had Australian shepherd like faces. One of their most distinctive features was their ears. They pointed up, but the top half flopped back down toward each side of the face.

The runt weighed only about eight ounces and had a black top coat with a brown undercoat. Proudly displayed on her chest was a large white star. White fur edged each paw. She yawned for a moment, but sensed a screaming man hovering high above her attentive mom and the rest of her brothers and sisters. Shocked by the inside storm above her, she and the rest of her siblings buried their little heads in their mom’s fur. Unfortunately Tim’s tantrum was only getting started.

Will this nightmare ever end? he shouted in a voice loud enough to compete with the thunder outside.

What’s the matter? Dr. Johnson barked.

You just delivered a litter of mutts! Tim bellowed. A stupid dachshund invaded this place and impregnated Fluffy, our best doggy mom. Thanks to him, we can’t breed her again. If we do that and buyers find out she was the mother of a litter of mutts, they’ll avoid purchasing any of our puppies, destroying our business.

Martha assured her husband, Don’t worry, Tim. The puppies will be out of here as soon as they’re weaned. Ricky will have them. They’ll be his problem. We have other dogs we can breed. All’s not lost.

Fluffy, scared by Tim’s screaming, scooted closer to her puppies to protect them from the chaos erupting all around her.

Tim’s outbursts unnerved even the vet. Dr. Johnson quickly cleaned up the puppies, moved the entire group out of the whelping box to a clean blanket on a dog bed nestled against the back wall, and packed up his gear. Sunshine returned to the western sky as the storm departed, projecting a double rainbow on the dark sky to the east as he finished.

I have to go, other appointments you know. Call my office if you have any problems, Dr. Johnson said.

He wrote out a bill for his services. Once Martha paid it, Dr. Johnson fled the building. Martha heard the car door slam, the roar of the engine, followed by the screeching of tires as the anxious vet tore out of the driveway on to the highway.

She looked down at the seven puppies snuggled against Fluffy, all comfy on their bed. Would this be the end of the storm?

Two

The runt struggled with her six brothers and sisters for their mom’s food. The four year old Australian shepherd took good care of all her puppies. That’s why Tim became so upset when Fred’s dachshund , Mortimer, invaded their breeding barn and impregnated her.

Tim’s pain intensified as he endured watching Fluffy nurse her last litter. The only way it might go away would be for the puppies to be sent to the dog adopter.

Tim fretted for the next two weeks as Fluffy coddled her brood. The two weeks couldn’t end fast enough for Fluffy’s owner. He wanted the sadness associated with watching Fluffy nursing her last litter to end.

Tim was so impatient that he kept a special calendar with his expected day of weaning marked with a big black X. As each day passed, he marked that calendar day with a big red checkmark.

The big black X day arrived, but Fluffy still nursed her brood.

What! She’s still nursing? Come on, that can’t be! Tim said to Martha.

Mama will know when to stop. Just be patient, Martha said.

Patience, I’ve had to deal with this since late May. She better be finished with this tomorrow or I’ll… Tim’s voice trailed off to an angry mutter.

You can’t rush weaning, Tim, Martha replied as she sipped her morning coffee.

That’s what you think. I’ll wean them from Fluffy with formula.

Oh, okay, go ahead, Martha laughed.

Tim’s repeated outbursts in the breeding barn caused Fluffy and the puppies to stick close to each other. Fluffy gave Tim a mournful look every time he screamed. His anger upset all the dogs even the pure breeds in the kennels next door.

The presence of Fluffy’s brood was a constant reminder of what one wayward dachshund could do. Tim wanted the mutts out of the breeding barn as soon as possible. So he put his plan to wean the puppies with store bought puppy milk into action. This wasn’t so easy. The puppies received more than food from Fluffy. They received her love, something not available in any store bought puppy milk.

Despite the puppies’ preference for Fluffy, Tim kept trying. He marked each unsuccessful day with a big red checkmark, like the ones he made before the big black X day. It took about ten more days, but he succeeded. The puppies now accepted the store bought puppy milk.

The success was confirmed over a few days when the puppies began eating solid food. Once Tim determined that the puppies were weaned and eating on their own, he called Fred Best, the dachshund’s owner. He told him that the puppies were ready to be delivered to the dog adopter.

Fred then called Ricky, the owner of Ricky’s Dog Pack, with whom he arranged a three week stay for the mutts. Ricky specialized in doggy adoption. He did his best to place all of his puppies in good homes. Ricky would do the same for Tim with the three weeks Fred purchased. If not, any that remained would stay at Ricky’s only if Tim or Fred paid for the extra time. If not, the remaining puppies would be sent back to Tim’s, or to another dog adopter, or to the George-Ville Dog Pound.

After Fred spoke with Ricky, he called Tim and told him that the dog adopter was ready to receive his mutts. Tim quickly called Ricky and asked when he could deliver them.

Just send them over anytime, Ricky said.

I have an appointment with the vet for the puppies to get their shots this afternoon. Can I bring them tomorrow?

Sure, I’ll look for you then, Ricky said with a smile in his voice.

Tim then contacted Dr. Johnson, to let him know that he was on his way to get the puppies their shots.

Tim gathered three traveling crates and placed the puppies in them. He walked the first one to the trunk of the family’s white van. He lifted the hatchback door to see if there was room for the three crates. After determining that there was room for all three, Tim tied down the first one. He returned to the breeding barn and gathered the other two. He walked them to the van and strapped them into other two places.

Tim slammed the hatchback door. He walked around to the driver side, opened its door, and climbed into the driver’s seat. After locking the doors, Tim drove to Dr. Johnson’s.

The next day Tim loaded the puppies back into their crates and loaded them into the van for the trip to Ricky’s.

He returned to the barn to make sure he captured them all. He glanced over at Fluffy’s kennel. Fluffy gave him the most forlorn look he ever saw from a dog. I can’t breed Fluffy anymore. Maybe I can give her to Ricky and have him try to adopt her out, he whispered to himself.

Tim walked back into the house and saw Martha standing near the kitchen window looking out at the van.

Martha, I have a question, Tim said from the hallway.

What is it? She said, Thinking of keeping those puppies?

No, these puppies will be sent to Ricky’s. Would you mind if I sent Fluffy to Ricky’s? We can’t breed her anymore. Maybe she could help someone else.

Martha sighed and said, "I’ll be sad to lose her, but I’ll miss her puppies. They are the cutest ones that were ever born in our