Life with dogs

For as long as she could remember, ancestry had been an important part of her life. Her uncle Marcus had kept numerous records of their history. No small feat, considering he was all feet and no hands! Buried throughout the neighborhood were small mementos of their family tree. In their personal back yard, the oldest treasures were well hidden and guarded by her uncle and brother. In the farthest corner of the dog house lay the most prized possession – a bone and buffalo hide collar that had belonged to her great, great, great, great, well, you get the idea, her old grandfather. He was the oldest tame ancestor, and really tame was a relative term, tamer would be more accurate. You see, he was a defector from the wolf clan who had tired of the fighting and struck out on his own…

He would have starved to death if it were not for the kindness of a young cave boy. Love and commitment bloomed in the exchange of food; life would never be the same for man or beast. Equally important to uncle Johan was a silver collar worn by his… well old grandmother. Greeks had used the animals for guards during sieges upon the town and the sole survivor was rewarded with food for life and a beautiful collar. Imagine it, and before women’s rights no less.

She secretly thought he would wear the collar himself if the other males in the area wouldn’t make fun. For a few generations there were not many artifacts could be found, they call this time the hungry time. This was because the care once afforded the canine was in decline humans know this time as the dark ages.

They were unsure why this occurred her family simply knew that warm hearths and large meals were now gone and they were left to roam and survive anyway they could. Just the thought of it brought a whimper to her throat. From then forward, the trinkets would vary in size and even sophistication. Beautiful feed bowls from France to bone bowls and collars from the American Indians. Yes, her family had traveled from near and far, been held in high regard as well as cast aside but through it all they retained a love and devotion, always returning to his side as protector, helper and or friend. Today she was starting her own treasure trove of trinkets. Into her special place was the blue ribbon her mother had won for her superb physique, and the bandanna her father had worn in his photo shoots. Soon her cousin, a buff police dog, was going to give her his badge. Well, that is if he can get it off without his partner noticing.

As for her legacy and any artifact, she hoped to bury one day the picture of her and her human little girl. Looking out for her as she grew from a tiny hairless pink thing to the tall loving woman she was today was the high of her life. Soon she would be leaving with her to guard and comfort her human all the days of her life.