Monday 17 September 2012

Dogs #3 part 2.

Ben was fairly easy to train, although it was made harder as Dad had just taken early retirement and I was working. Dad was a bit soft on him, but I knew male Labs needed a firm hand, so I spent all my free time out with him. It soon paid dividends and by one year old he was off the lead all the time with me.

At 18 months a friend of mine said he would like Ben to mate with his bitch, also a black Lab. Fast-track a few months and Ben became the father to ELEVEN pups! I was offered £200 plus the pick of the litter. We settled on £500 and he could sell them all.

Ben was fiercely loyal to me. Any male dog would not be tolerated. (I think this was due to him being attacked as a pup.) There was one dog however that Ben worshipped. I used to walk them both as my friends Dad was getting a bit frail. It used to be quite amusing walking down the disused railway line with Bill and Ben!! Sadly Bill was put down a few years later, but Ben would always rush up to his gate and wait for him not to arrive.

As you may know I suffered a bad accident in 2000, breaking lots of important things and spending 6 months in hospital. Mum and Dad used to visit every other day, as I was up in Sheffield. After 4 months I was finally allowed out of bed, albeit in a body brace. Mum and Dad arrived to find me in my new wheelchair. They took me outside into the car park to inspect the new car, a Ford Focus estate. Dad opened the back, and there was Ben! We hadn't seen each other for 4 months. He went ballistic, I cried my eyes out!

In 2005 Ben was diagnosed with cancer and put to sleep.I cried my eyes out.

He was the best friend I ever had!

10 comments:

Z said...

Oh John, I have tears in my eyes too. There are some dogs I still miss desperately and I feel for you.

Unknown said...

Z,he was the best!

Sue18 said...

When my cats decide it's time to go, I hope they wander out into the nearby woods (where they often go) so I don't have to make that decision.

(We've lived in the same place so long that archaeologists of the way-future will think that we were felines.)

Mickle in NZ said...

Wow, Ben lived with you for 16 years! What a wonderful friendship you had.

Unknown said...

Sue, it wasn't that hard, it was the doing!

Unknown said...

Mickle, if it wasn't for the cancer he'd have kept going.

cogidubnus said...

Hi John

I've had Labs all my life and know just where you're coming from...the last one was a cracker and I broke my heart over him...vowed I'd never have another...

So thanks to the missus we now have a Jack Russell, a breed I never really fancied as a family pet (having heard lots of bad things about them)...

Perhaps he's an exception but we've had him a couple of years now, and can honestly find no vices in him...great with kids, patient with our (eight!) cats too (apart from an occasional unfortunate propensity to hump our siamese!)...

I guess it proves nothing except never say never...

All the best

Unknown said...

Cogi, EIGHT cats! No wonder there are no birds!

cogidubnus said...

Quite...but you try telling the missus that...she's just been out and bought no fewer than three birdbaths!

Unknown said...

They're dinner tables!!