TAR - The Dog

by John
(Gulfport, FL USA)

This is crazy, but I just can't get over this dog. It's been 5 months and I'm still grieving. Enough about me.

Tar was the first dog I raised from a pup to his death.

I had Happy, before I was born. A collie that lived 16 years.

And Christie, who ran my paper route every day, then I moved out of my parents house. She died, only 7 years old, from what I think was a broken heart. Yes, I grieve her too to this day.

And Buddy, that I had to give away because I moved into a condo that didn't allow dogs of that size. He was a blonde lab-ChesBay etc. Lab, 110 lbs. and as fit as they come. I did give him to a great lady, Jackie, who took him to her mother's farm in WV, where he lived a great life. Jackie was the love of my life never consummated.

Back to Tar. I got Tar from Knotts Island, NC. He was born under a john boat with 7 siblings. I saw an acquaintance's truck at "Mike the Mechanic's" shop on Knotts Island, as I was headed to David Martin's Farm. Yes... THE David Martin of Wrestling fame, whose Dad invented the Granby ROLL.

I went inside Mike's shop on a Sunday afternoon and they were eating crabs caught from the Albermarle Sound, and, of course, drinking beer. I had a beer and I found myself showing affection to Mike's dog, and hanging around the crab pot looking for a handout. Mike said that his dog, the one I was showing affection to, had puppies and to look under the johnboat out back. He said the all black lab he was gonna sell as a pure breed, but the rest were free.

I went back there and a little pup, brazen as he could be, came out underneath the johnboat and stood there looking at me, seemingly protecting his siblings in their mother's absence. Well, I walked back into Mike's garage and told him to save that dog for me. He did, and I got him (Tar) at 6 weeks. He never whimpered at night, and was house broken within 2 weeks.

I could go on and on about Tar, but I loved him. He travelled across the country with me, saw me through a good/bad marriage, and too much to explain here. He lived his life to the fullest, and when he couldn't go on any more, just crashed.

He was the greatest dog to me that ever lived. He may have been a nuisance to a lot of people, but he was mine. He had such a command of the English language, it was scary. Anything that went on he was game.