By: Glynn Harris
“Puppy Love is an informal term for feelings of love often felt during childhood and adolescence. It is named for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy.” (Copied)
I have been on the receiving end of such love for much of my life as a child, teenager and as an adult.
I recall pups with names like Tippy and Rusty but years have erased most of those memories except I remember what faithful companions they were as they trailed along behind me on ventures to the woods, stopping to investigate a toad or a lizard.
The first vivid memory of a pup involved a bob-tailed pooch named Jody. He wasn’t supposed to have his tail whacked off. That was reserved for breeds like cocker spaniels which we thought Jody was until we learned his mom, a registered cocker, had a fling with a mixed breed mongrel down the street. It was only after he was ours that we knew without a doubt he was only half cocker spaniel. The other half was heaven knows what.
Jody had the makings of a good squirrel dog and was just beginning to tree squirrels when he decided to cross the road in front of a car. The Buick won.
Then there was Bambi, a little bitty doe colored Chihuahua. When Kay and I married, her nine year old daughter, Melissa, was excited to have a pup included in the deal. Bambi grew old, became weak and frail and we had to make the decision no one wants to make. We loved her too much to see her suffer so we did what we had to do. She was no longer in pain but ours was real.
Next to come to our home to live was Trixie. Her arrival was accompanied with a strange set of circumstances. My wife, Kay, was working in an office down town when someone brought in a matted and dirty little pup that was found wandering the streets and was in dire danger of being run over. Kay’s compassion took over and she brought the little dog home. We cleaned her up, took her to our vet to have her checked out. It was only then that we learned she was a poodle.
We named her Trixie because she told us her name. Not really but as we called out various dog’s names to her, every time we said “Trixie” her ears perked up so someone had named her that or something similar. Trixie it was.
There was not a sweeter little dog in the world than Trixie. For the 10 years or so that we had her, she was warm and cuddly and loving, obviously appreciative of being rescued. Just like Bambi, age and ailments eventually rendered her existence miserable. Once again, we had to make a difficult but necessary decision to ease her pain and misery. Gosh, that hurt to have to do that but we loved her too much to do otherwise.
We waited a year or so before thinking about bringing another puppy into our lives. An ad in the paper described a little Papillion at a kennel and when we arrived, it was love at first sight. There was a tiny fur ball we had to have so we paid the lady, bundled him in a blanket my wife had purchased and brought him home and named him Rufus. Before leaving the kennel, I rubbed the blanket on his mom, placed it in the crate we had for him and when he sniffed his mom’s scent, a little tail began wagging and his whole life, that blanket became his surrogate mom.
For 16 years, 8 months and five days, he was a vital part of our family, vital to the extent that we spoiled him. Early mornings he had to have a particular treat and at 5:00 in the afternoon, it was his snack bone followed by his daily ride to the park. He was virtually the little boy we never had and we spoiled him rotten.
Over this past year, he began gradually losing his eyesight and hearing and spent most of the day sleeping. Then last week, more serious problems occurred, difficulty in breathing, he was increasingly in distress and once again we knew we had to make that dreaded decision.
Just before the lethal dose sent him over the Rainbow Bridge, he reached over and licked my hand and my eyes are getting wet as I write this. Kay and I take comfort in believing that today, he’s free of pain and romping the fields of Heaven with Bambi and Trixie.
FISHING REPORT
BUSSEY BRAKE – Bass fishing has been fair this week. A few bream reports have come in. No reports on crappie or catfish. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BLACK BAYOU – Bream are fair; others are slow. Contact Honey Hole Tackle Shop 323-8707 for latest information.
OUACHITA RIVER – The river is fairly high but likely to see a significant rise because of heavy rains. Crappie Masters is holding its national championship this weekend on the river and the influx of high water will make for some interesting and challenging fishing. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – The lake is currently around 3 feet down during the drawdown but heavy rains will slow the drawdown for sure. Currently, the crappie fishing has been best on the flats fishing jigs. Any color with chartreuse in the mix seems to be working best. Look for bass in the run-outs where there is current. Crank baits, spinners and soft plastics are picking up a few. Bream have slowed while catfishing is good on cold worms or night crawlers. For latest reports, call Anderson’s Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Bass fishing has been good on a variety of lures but most of the fish are running rather small. Could these be Tiger bass? Not sure at this point. Striper fishing continues to produce but rains are hampering the topwater action. However, some are still being caught trolling white bucktails and spoons. Catfishing has been fair tight-lining cold worms off the banks. Bream are slow while some crappie are still being caught around submerged tops in deeper water on shiners or jigs. For latest information, call Tim Loftin at Kel’s Cove at 927-2264.
CANEY LAKE – Bass fishing has been best fishing deeper water along the channel edges on soft plastics and crank baits with a few in the 8 pound range reported. Schooling activity has slowed this week. Crappie fishing is fair around the deeper tops on shiners or jigs. Some channel catfish in the 4-6 pound range have been caught tightlining cold worms. Bream are slow to fair. For latest information contact Bateaux on Caney Lake at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE POVERTY POINT –Catfishing is fair for smaller sized fish. No report on bass, bream or crappie. For latest reports, call Poverty Point Marina at 318-878-0101.
LAKE ST. JOHN – Bass have been fair on topwaters early and late and soft plastics during the day. Catfishing is fair. Bream and crappie are slow. For information, call Ken Mahoney at 318-201-3821.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is rising which will put a damper on what was good fishing last week. For information, call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.
LAKE BRUIN – Bass fishing has improved on soft plastics. Other species are slow. For information, contact Carlos Gray at 318/766-0075.
