Kobe's Tales

I am a black and silver German shepherd with a pedigree of champions. I came to my family when I was seven months old after growing up in a kennel. I really hated it there - all boxed in a kennel run, the owner hosed the kennel down (and me) every day, it made me very angry. My owner decided to visit a friend and she took me along - WOW - this was a new adventure! We visited and then she just left me there with these strange people, I was beside myself and did not know what to think! The new people put me on a chain and had a kennel for nighttime. Everything was so strange, but they did not hose the kennel down with me in there and I was only on a chain long enough to respond to them. I liked responding to them - they brushed me, scratched my ears, hugged me, and fed me the good stuff, not like the dry stuff I had at the kennel.

Well, I grew and did not have to be in the kennel at nights any more because I was promoted to the job of watch dog. I have a big yard to watch and keep safe from rabbits, birds, blowing leaves, and that nasty squirrel. My humans now have a name; Pappa and Mamma. I like Pappa best and I try to help him when he works around the yard. Mamma is another story - she makes me mind. She just looks at me and points, I lie down and stay - I have no idea why, but that is just the way it is. Pappa has to tell me to lie down at least 90 times; I am just too excited when he is around. I want to run and jump and lick him and play - then Mamma comes and points and the fun is all over.

My humans have other humans and these humans have a very small human that they carry around, but the humans also have a playmate for me. His name is Oly (pronounced Oh Lee); he is a mixed German shepherd and Burmese Mountain Dog. He is two years older than I and somewhat pushy at times, but I like him and he is a good friend. Oly is very adventurous and sometimes when our humans are not looking he sniffs the air and whispers, "let's go!" So we run and run for hours sniffing all the smells in the fields and the forest. We do not stop until we get tired and then we come home. Oly gets in a lot of trouble with his human for that, but Mamma just points and I lay down. Then when Oly's human isn't looking, Mamma sneaks us a Milk Bone because she knows we need a boost of energy. Then Pappa scratches our ears and we know all is well and that we are forgiven for the worry we caused. Then Oly's human takes him home until the next play date.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, my humans also have a black pig. His name is Porky. He stays in my old kennel run and has a pink house. Stupid pig, stupid looking house - sometimes I sneak up on him and bark and then he makes stupid snorts back at me... He smells funny, and makes strange noises; I do not like him in my yard. I am glad I am not in the kennel run, but I don't like him there at all. Even a cat is better than a pig, yuck... Mamma goes out and feeds him every day and changes the water; I get so mad that I run around and around the kennel run and bark nasty words at him. He doesn't car; he just eats his food and grunts at me; he is just a stupid pig.

One day, Pappa took me out to the shop and Mamma let Porky out to graze in the grass. I knew something was not right with the air smell, so I snuck back up and the pig gate was open! I started sniffng the groung to see where Porky could have escaped to. I sniffed around the yard until I happened to notice Porky was down by the pond eating the apples that fell off the tree. His stupid looking tail was wagging and he was grunting and snorting. Well. this is NOT something that should be happening!

I crouched down and snuck as quietly as I could to where he was eating. He did not notice me, so I pounced on him, trying to grab his ear. He screamed and turned around at me. I barked nasty words and he started to run. That pig has short legs, but he can run as fast as I can! The chase was on... I heard Mamma yell at Pappa, and Pappa came running as did their other human, Bill. Porky and I ran right through Pappa, knocking him down. "Sorry, I do not have time to lick your wounds," I barked at Pappa - "I have to catch the pig!" I got a bite of his ear, but just then Bill grabbed my collar, yanking me to a stop, and Porky's ear just slipped out of my mouth.

Porky kept running all the way over to the neighbor's field. Bill brought me into the house to see Mamma, who pointed, and I obediently laid down. Bill and Pappa went out to the field with bread crumbs so Porky would follow them back home; they locked him in his kennel and the fun was over. I heard Mamma tell pappa that Porky was not allowed to be out anymore unless I was inside the house. Pappa said that Porky was a half a mile away before he and Bill caught up to him - I guess I gave him a good scare, just wait until next time!
The End For Now