THE DOG WHO LOVED ME

By John McKee

The book begins with Noah's desire for a dog, a big dog; a manly dog. But the dog that is chosen is a female dog, and her name is Goldie. Noah loves Goldie, but he loves his wife more. The reader quickly learns that Edith is praying Christian. Take a journey with Noah as he is led by his wife towards God. Read how Noah discovers God and learns to witness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385002191

Book preview

1

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It was a woman. The person that first warned me against getting a male dog. Why not? I’m a male, surely the dominant species. Surely the better of the two. No, that’s not totally true. The female is absolutely fascinating, and powerful in that. So, who told me to get a female dog? I mean, all men want their dog to be their buddy. But it turns out that when it comes to a dog, there are reasons to want a gal.

To have all understanding of this story, you should know who’s idea it was to get a dog of her persuasion. It was my wife, Edith. You might ask, who listens to their wife? Any man who wants to stay happily married.

Edith had some insights into this problem that I would never have anticipated. Once I voiced the need for a dog, and I emphasized need, Edith’s first response was that the first addition to our family should be the one we were expecting. To this, I countered that the dog should be first so that we would at least be beyond house training before we had our rug rat crawling thru the dog’s first experience with newspaper.

Edith agreed. It always surprised me when she did that, because I knew she knew that she was smarter than I was in almost everything. So every time she agreed with me, I couldn’t help but be surprised. It was one of the many things that made me love her.

Since I seemed to be on a roll, I told her that what we needed (what I wanted) was a German Shepherd - translation, a manly dog. Edith said no.

Why not?

For so many reasons

Name one.

With eyebrows raised, oh so sweetly, she said, German Shepherds are big dogs.

The better to protect you and our little ones.

Ones? Just how many will you have me produce?

As many as time and your health permits!

She grinned. She is so pretty. When she grins, I am totally undone.

That is a topic for another time. Stick to the issue. Have you considered whose dog this will be?

Mine, of course. Dogs were the male domain, whether the dog was male or female.

I’m glad you agree. You will be in charge of everything about the dog, except one thing. I will pick the dog out.

I was flabbergasted. No. My response was weakly stated. The choice of the dog was like the choice of the family car - strictly a man’s thing. My domain.

Did you say something?

Uh, no. I was just clearing my throat.

Maybe you should take something for it. Back to the dog. First, we want a mutt.

This was unbelievable, but reason prevailed and I said nothing.

Pure bred dogs are expensive - all you get is a piece of paper. Mutts live longer; they’re healthier, smarter, and less temperamental. While we’re on it, we want a small dog.

What? I mean who wouldn’t want big dog?

Because we have to feed this dog. I want 8 lb. bags max of dog food in my cupboard, and I want poop no bigger than a small zip lock bag.

Why

Because what goes in, will come out - and we will step in it, and your child will climb through it.

My child?

Yes, rule number one. Any child of ours that is soiled by dog poop will be cleaned up by the one in charge of the dog.

What? I was conscious of saying ‘What’ too many times.

She just looked at me, like I should already know. And so it went, like so many of our ‘discussions’ went. But it was what made our marriage work. And that always made me happy.

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Edith is very systematic. As a guy, what I first noticed about her was how beautiful she was. It wasn’t until after I proposed that I slowly began to see how order was one of her primary attributes.

The child, conceived, but not yet born, came first. This was very hard for me to understand. I hate to admit it, but with apologies to my first born who has probably already read this, the creation of a child was a long term project. For a dog, a trip to the pet shop took a couple of hours, tops.

But my very wise wife saw that this would be a choice that we would live with for several years. She put aside a part of her day to research dogs, and where they might be obtained.

Not being a research type, I found better things to do with my time. My method of acquisition was to first - simply know where to go. So, ask a buddy, or just wander downtown searching. In fact, my usual MO was to ask at the water cooler, look for likely places on the way home, or if I really got desperate, check Craig’s List or the newspaper. Of course, by that time, newspapers were hard to find.

A buddy at work, Kira, knew someone. Kira may not sound like a buddy, but she was to me. She was a committed wife and mother. And smart. Maybe smarter than me, except that I was her boss. But all she had to offer was where to find a good cat. Ugh. No cats. I was such a guy back then.

But, never mind. Needing to show my smart, brilliant wife that she really had married the right guy, I stopped at a pet store on the way home.

The pet store was in a strip mall, off to the side. Not a bad looking place, just hard to find, even with my GPS. The front was glass with black painted trim. The door buzzed as I went through.

Hello

I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dark inside, and located the pretty young lady who had greeted me. Hi. I’m looking for a dog, as in I want to buy one. I raised my eyebrows with expectation.

I’m sorry, but we don’t sell pets.

Aren’t you a pet store?

The change in the set of her shoulders told me that she knew I was from some alien place, but she would be patient. We are, but pet stores don’t sell pets anymore, at least none that I know of.

I was perplexed. If pet stores don’t sell pets, how do they stay in business? Who would want pet food, collars, and the rest?

She held up her hand as in ‘wait a minute’.

You need to find a breeder. We have a list of breeders that we certify.

I said nothing for a minute. The world had passed me by, and I had no clue. Do you have a pet?

Oh yes. A dog, a cat, and a fish.

And?

The dog we got from a breeder, the cat from a neighbor, and the fish from a pet store.

But …

Some pet stores sell fish and birds. But for dogs, you’ll have to find a breeder. With a smile, she showed me a list of certified breeders.

Can I take a copy of the list with me?

Certainly, she said, eager now to help me.

So, off I went with my list. When I got home, Edith was waiting for me.

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She met me at the door.

Where are we going? I asked.

We have an appointment at Hanson’s Breeders in 20 minutes.

Leave it to my lovely wife. She was always so far ahead of me. Again I wondered how someone so smart and good looking would go for someone like me. With great expectations, I followed her out to the garage to her mini-van. Not my kind of vehicle, but, whatever Edith wanted, I was happy to find a way to get it for her. Actually, she had picked it out, dickered with the dealer, and wrote the check. I just came along to look impressive.

Hanson’s Breeders looked like a farm. Jim Hansen and his wife Sandy were the owner/operators. After shaking our hands, they led us towards the barn. On the way, we learned that theirs was a farm, raising crops mostly. As we neared the barn, we could hear the dogs. Jim opened the door, and a large cat jumped down from a ledge to check us out.

Do you sell cats too? I asked.

Everything you see is for sale, except my wife and kids. Of course, our dog, and Sandy’s horse are off limits. Jim had a deep voice that seemed to vibrate the very air when he spoke. What’re you looking for?"

We want a smart, good looking female, between 20 and 35 lbs Edith said. What do you have like that?

Do you have kids? Sandy asked.

Not yet, but soon, Edith replied.

Then disposition is important too

Why? I asked. Doesn’t disposition come from good training?

Yep, said Jim. But that’s not the whole story. Even kids from the best families mess up. A family with small children needs a people dog.

A people dog, I repeated. I thought dogs were man’s best friend.

They can be, but I assume this is your first dog.

Yes, said Edith. What do you recommend?

Jim turned towards his wife. Sandy said, My first choice would be a Lab. But we don’t have any Lab pups at this time

So, what’ve you got? I asked. I was here for a dog, whatever kind it was.

We left the barn and headed for a smaller outbuilding. It was quieter here. But as we entered, dogs began to bark. We were greeted by a smaller sized black and white dog that just looked smart. This is Lily, Sandy said. She paused to introduce us to Lily. Just let her come and smell your hands.

Lily walked up to us slowly and then sniffed. She waited for a minute as if needed permission, or something, and moved forward to Edith first, sniffing her shoes and then her hand. Edith scratched the dog just behind the head, and Lily licked her hand. Sandy smiled. She likes you.

Then Lily did the same with me. I felt like I had passed some kind of dog test. I think I fell in love with Lily right away. Is Lily for sale?

With a shake of her head, Sandy moved into the structure. We have puppies for sale. You came at the right time. We always have dogs, but sometimes not in the breed that someone is looking for. She moved towards a stall where we could hear the mewling of puppies.

As we came around the corner to the puppies, we could not help but smile. A smile is beautiful on Edith; kind of goofy on me. The mother looked at us, unafraid. She licked one of her puppies, as if to let us know that they were her’s.

In color, they were a match to Lily - all black and white. But also, all individually marked. I looked and wondered aloud, How do you know which one to pick? As I spoke, Edith knelt and held her hand towards the mother. What’s the mother’s name? she asked.

Ginny, Sandy said.

Ginny sniffed Edith’s hand and looked away.

She doesn’t like me

Not now. Females are reserved, and take a while to accept you. Plus, she is protective of her pups.

This prompted me to ask, Which is better, a male or female dog, particularly with kids?

Male, but they’re both good.

Why male? Edith asked.

For the breed, males do the best with kids.

This is our first dog. The child, when it comes, will be our first.

When it comes - I looked at her closely. What does that mean?

So, would you recommend a dog like Ginny? she asked.

Yes and no, Sandy said.

I was surprised. I had already fallen for Ginny and her pups. I backed away slightly. Edith was calm as usual. She lifted her brows, asking a question with them.

Jim cleared his voice, getting our attention. We should have Lab pups shortly, but there are others to consider. He looked at his wife, "What about a

Retriever?"

Jim’s right. Ginny’s a Border Collie. Border Collies are very smart, but they need a lot of activity. They are bred to be work dogs. If you don’t find a job for them to do, they will use their energy in other ways - most of them destructive.

But, Jim said, we have a retriever pup. It’s the last one left of the litter.

Edith looked up. Then let’s take a look at it.

I was getting excited. A Retriever is a big dog. A Man dog.

Jim ushered us all out into the alleyway and led us farther into the barn. Turning into a quiet stall, we saw a golden pup, a little larger than the pups that we had just left. Her head lifted, and she walked over to us. tail wagging. Her coat was a reddish gold. She had big paws for her size. She smiled. I was in love.

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Edith knelt and raised her hand to the pup. The pup approached her, tail wagging, and licked her fingers. Edith’s fingers were getting sloppy, but she smiled anyway. Obviously, this was the dog. Then the pup moved closer to give her a kiss. Edith rose with grace. She did everything with grace.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, I said nothing. It was one of the secrets of our marriage - for me to know when to be quiet. The other major secret was for Edith to ignore me when I did blurt out something. But I knew this was an important. Jim looked at me, probably noticing the silly smile on my face. He smiled back briefly.

This is Goldie, but you can change her name to anything you want. It’s best to do it early. Make sure she will come when you call her, and before you let her out of the house.

Her? I said.

Nodding, he turned to his wife.

She’s a she, but a dog is a dog. Your bud’s won’t care. As a female, she will be calmer. But both sexes of this breed are easy to be with.

How about children?

Retrievers are near the top. Sandy responded.

What makes them that way? Edith was in research mode. I think we both knew that this was the dog for us, but my wife would still want to know everything about the dog.

Breeding. All dogs have been bred over the centuries to enhance the qualities their owners wanted. Disposition, hunting ability, teachability, and cleanliness are some.

Jim’s cell phone rang at that time, and he stepped away to take the call. No biggy, the women were going to make this decision. Restraining myself from pacing, or worse - going up on my toes, I waited with the patience of Job. Not really, since being as patient as Job was a goal for me to reach for, but one I knew I would never attain.

Will she be good around babies?

Why would my wife ask that now?

All dogs nip, but most pups seem to understand the fragility of a baby. I had no problem with a retriever when I had my babies. I can’t foresee that you would with this dog either. Sandy paused and then asked, When is your baby due?

Edith stood and blushed faintly. My wife never blushed. Ah, it hasn’t been confirmed yet. How did you know?

I’m a grandma. You just know.

Edith looked at me, slightly embarrassed. I wanted and still want to wait until it is confirmed by a doctor. Are you upset?

I didn’t know what I was. Excited, hopeful, happy, surprised. For once I said the right thing, Anything but upset. I leaned in to hug her. But let’s talk about now. What do you think about Goldie?

Edith smiled. I think she’s perfect.

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Being married to Edith was a happy time for me. I don’t mean now and then, but when I was with her I just felt happy. And complete. And at home. So, driving home with our new dog was frosting on the cake.

The dog looked at everything. If necessary, she could probably find the way back to Jim and Sandy’s place. Something I mentioned out loud to Edith.

Of course, she said.

Huh? my typical response.

Dogs have been known to find their way home across continents. Edith never hinted that these things were something everyone should know, but I knew it was anyway.

On the way home we stopped for doggy things: leash, collar, dog food, and doggy treats.

We pulled into the drive with Goldie wagging her tail and panting. Edith put her hand on my arm to restrain me. I loved it when she touched me, and it always got my attention immediately; even with a new dog in the car.

Murmuring to Goldie, Edith held the collar up to the dog’s nose. Goldie licked it. Edith gently stroked Godie’s head and slipped the collar around, and fastened it. She did the same with the leash. Getting out, she turned to let Goldie out of the back. Smooth and organized. So Edith.

When we entered the house, Edith unhooked the leash. Goldie looked at us for a moment, and then began her examination of what would now be her new home. Everything was sniffed, some things were licked. As Goldie worked, Edith had me get the rest of the doggy stuff from the van. Into the new bowls went dog food and water. Edith allowed me to take three doggy treats. We need to not overdo the treats, she said.

What are we going to call her?

What’s wrong with Goldie?

I don’t know, I said, But as her parents, shouldn’t we be the ones to give her a name?

Edith gave me a look. She was so pretty, that sometimes I would forget what we were talking about. So, what would you like to call her?

Give me a minute. I tried to think of cool names - Butch, Max, Sheldon, Merlin. All I could think of were guy names. After 10 minutes, I had to agree that Edith was right. Goldie was right. It couldn’t be a boy’s name, but I didn’t want anything too girly either. Goldie it was. I think Goldie is perfect.

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With the dog out of the way, Edith’s focus was on redecorating the guest room for the baby. It was too soon to know the sex, but still a baby is a baby with certain needs. Crib, high chair, diapers. Too soon for a diaper bag, not knowing if it would be a boy or a girl.

I made the mistake of calling the baby it once. It was not to be referred to as an it. It would be known as the baby until we knew more. But Edith was already researching baby boy and baby girl names. I had better things to do. I had a dog to play with.

And Goldie liked to play. She would not be ignored, but thrust her nose into whatever I was doing. She seemed to know when Edith was busy. If I was there, which was often now, she would find me, bringing her pull toy, or a ball to play catch with. Edith turned to me one day and said, Why don’t you train her, before she gets too old?

What do you mean too old? Can’t you train a dog, like, whenever?

Yes, you can. But dogs, like people, learn most and best when they’re young. It’s easier for both teacher and dog.

What should I teach her?

You’re already teaching her.

What do you mean?

She picked up the leash. Goldie immediately ran to the door and came to attention. She gave a single bark and looked expectantly, first at Edith, and then at me.

What’s she saying? Edith asked.

She wants to go out.

Brilliant. Take her out. When you get back, we’ll talk more.

Have I mentioned that I seldom ‘argued’ or ‘discussed’ things with my wife. Life was simpler to just do it. Besides, I loved her. Why would I not want to do whatever she wanted?

I had already decided that an outing with Goldie that resulted in a dropping of dog manure (if that’s what it’s called) was more productive than one without. The weather was good, and we were gone for a half hour, or thereabouts. Goldie was good with other dogs, wanting to sniff and accepting sniffs. In time I would let her play with other dogs, if their owners allowed it. For now, we just had to get to know the neighborhood.

When we got back, Edith asked, So, what did you teach her?

Uh, nothing. I guess?

As I said before, you will and you are teaching her. We need to look at this! She smacked a small paperback book on the kitchen table. I carefully settled into a kitchen chair, and pulled the book to me like it was the second or third or fourth most precious thing in the world to me.

The title was, How to Raise a Puppy You can Live With.

This is too big. Do I have to read all of it?

Maybe.

What do you mean ‘Maybe’

Show me that you and Goldie can communicate to my satisfaction, and you’re off the hook. She then gave me that meaningful look that always promised so much, I just never knew what she meant by it. This time I got it.

Have you read it?

Parts.

Okay, I said. Why don’t we take turns reading it, with a short discussion at the end?

Okay. Start at the beginning.

And so we began to read through the puppy book. I had no idea a dog could think and say so much.

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Goldie was coming along, or rather I should say I was coming along. Man, she was smart. It’s a little intimidating to be a guy living with two exceptionally smart females. Amazingly, they both seemed to like me. For Goldie, treats seemed to help. Edith’s treat was anything to do with our coming child. The room, the crib, the onesies.

I did my best to match her excitement, although as the months passed, I was disturbed to see the change in her appearance. I knew about pregnancies, of course. But, lacking in-laws or living parents of my own, I had no one to lean on. Naturally, I leaned on Edith, but for once in our