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The Pup Named Phoncho
Friday, April 03, 2008
Annette was out on her daily walk and saw a black Lab pup. The age was probably that of a pup given as a Christmas present several months previous to when she spotted him. He would go into the woods and shy away from any humans. Annette had talked with several of the area neighbors here in our small community about this young black lab. Everyone had seen the pup, but no one could catch him.
He was known for waiting beside the road, he was waiting for his master to return for him and pick him up. On her next trip she took some bread with her, hoping to coax him out. He was very weary of anyone and was down to just the skin on his bones and he had developed mange. He was looking not only desperate but he was very weak and ill. That day when she arrived at the hillside corner where he was staying (a good place for anyone wanting to dump an animal and not be seen!) he immediately ran into the woods. Annette sat at the side of the road just talking to him. He finally was coming closer to her, he wanted to check her out. She had such a wonderful loving voice and she was holding food in her hand. He wouldn’t come but so far. Annette decided to break the bread into pieces and as she put them down on the ground and backed away he would soon approach and would eat the little piece of bread, soon he was right by her eating the last of the bread. Annette had taken a leash with her and got it around his neck. She walked the reluctant pup home. She had accomplished what she had sat out to do that afternoon.
When they arrived home he was given all the food he could want and soon was taken to the vet. They got the medicines they would need to get him back on his feet. He could have his bath and was immediately taken in as a family member. He defiantly wasn’t alone anymore. This was the first time since Tom and Annette lived in the country that they were without an animal. They had had everything from goats, chickens, pheasants, a pig Lidia, two Doberman Pinchers, a Great Dane and numerous other animals over the years.
They named this new addition to the family "Phoncho." He loved Tom and Annette so much, but at the same time Tom said you could see him still waiting for his master to come. It took him sometime before he finally let go and put all his attentions to his new family, he was learning to trust again. The one thing that he still did until he went to his final sleep - he slept with his eyes open most of the time. I feel it goes back to being abandoned as a very young pup and when he was alone he was frightened of all the nosies and things he just didn’t know about. I think he slept with his eyes open in those woods because of fear and maybe he didn’t want to miss his master if he came back for him.
He was with them for six or so months when Annette passed away. When I met Tom and Phoncho, years later, they both greeted me with their kind, gentle, intelligent and affectionate nature that was the innate character of each. We soon became a family and Phoncho accepted me without condition. He immediately wanted to be with me when Tom wasn’t around, he was just as dedicated to me as he was to him. He made sure I knew it too. He watched over me and loved me as if I had always been in his life.
He was a wonderful dog. He loved going on our walks, going to the beach with us. He was a good dog around the horses. He loved to entertain us too. We were a complete family until 2006. He had allot of problems with his joints and I think because of how sick he was as a pup it affected his health as an adult. We had to say goodbye to our special companion. As we held his paw and gave him his special circular rubs around his ear he went to sleep, he was wagging his tail as we talked with him. Telling him "What a good dog you are!" Letting him know how much we loved him. I couldn’t help but think about all the joy, love, respect, happiness, and the complete peace of mind that Phoncho gave us. It was all unconditional.
I did think about the family that left him at the hillside corner down the road from us. I wondered how they could abandon this pup. I thought about this several times over the years as Phoncho grew older. I often wondered if they had any idea what Phoncho gave us, what they had missed out on. How happy he made us. This family missed out on so much, did they know what unconditional love was, how it felt not only to receive it but to give it in return. I thought about if they had children, how had they raised them. I thought about what this did to them, maybe they weren’t with the parent when Phoncho was abandoned, but I am sure they wondered where he went and if he was okay. I do hope life doesn’t repeat itself, this child or these children of this family are young adults by now. I do so hope if they decide to get a pet, they know how to unconditionally love it and know this responsibility will be for the life time of the animal.
We think of Phoncho often. We couldn’t have asked for a better dog. It was a wonderful relationship we had, the unconditional love and respect we shared will always be more than just a highlight in our memories.
In Fond Loving Memories of Phoncho - the "Weener"
RaeDi
