Others

Midnight- the dog who started it all- may God watch over him till we can run together once again

Midnight was a husky/Border collie cross (we think.) He found our door one evening long ago when he was just a pup and I was just a child He was shivering cold with ice clinging to his fur. He was exceptionally smart and loved to pull things while wearing a harness (sleds, wagons, etc.) He also thought he was a horse (probably because of all the time I spent at the stable and the fact that I trained him like a horse.)  He would jump the horse jumps, would lunge in a circle on a long line like a horse and even knew the cues for walk, trot and canter!  Several people who saw me work with him also wanted me to work with their dogs. Thus, a dog trainer was created. Thank-you Midnight for all you taught me.

Omen

Unk – April 14, 2003.

Omen was a Russian Blue of unknown birth date. We guess he was about 13 when he died. His favorite activity was looking out the window and watching the world go by. Sometimes he would sneak out the dog door to eat grass, but he preferred the indoor life. He was a great lap warmer and would keep me company in my office. He is missed daily.

Psycho

I only have printed photos of my kitty Psycho and I can’t find them. Apparently I hadn’t scanned any when I scanned the rest of my old print photos. 😦 I got him at the same time I got Omen (around 1990) and they grew up together. Psycho developed health issues and when my husband came home and found him almost lifeless, Psycho had to be helped across the bridge. He was a beautiful, sleek, short haired, all black kitty.

Diablo and Beau de Nez

Diablo was a gentle appaloosa Quarter Horse stallion with an unfortunate name (he came with it). He was just shy of pony size and he my first horse.  A Christmas gift from my parents to myself and my brother. He owner was unable to care for him and he was at the stable where I had been taking lessons and where I started working at the age of 12. Diablo’s favorite speed was stop and eat grass, but he humored me and let me do gymkhana, hunter trials, and games on horseback with him. He enjoyed walking on trails and if I ever got lost, I knew I only had to drop the reins and he would get me back to the barn. Because that’s where he knew the food was delivered!  He was unflappable (as long as no deer suddenly appeared) and I recall being on a road with him with an empty, billowing trash bag “rolling” down the road toward us. He just stood still and watched it go between his front legs!  He was a great first horse and taught me so many things. It was a very sad day when I had to part with him in 1998. I can only hope that the family that bought him took great care of him.

Beau was my second horse and a complete opposite from Diablo. He was an off the track, beautiful bay Thoroughbred, 16.3 hands high and FAST was his favorite speed! I did several types of competitions with him and as long as he got to run and jump (the higher the better) he was happy. But God forbid he had to cross over or through any type of water! I recall a battle of wills we had when I needed him to go over a 3″ wide trickle of water flowing along a curb. It took quite awhile and ended with a spectacular leap, but we did it!

I spent many years at the barn training and caring for many horses and treasure that time. Even the time spent hauling individual buckets from a near-by house for 40 horses when the pipes froze. And mucking stalls in 100+ degree heat. It was a great start to my career in animal training. I recall and miss many of those special horses, but most of all, my own two.