Memory Lane Monday - Wet Noses

l-r: Duncan, Handsome, MacDuff, Bryn and Old Morgan

When I first met Handsome in 1981, he already had "Old Morgan". I loved him from the moment I first laid eyes on him. (Handsome, too!) Morgan was our only dog until Bryn came along in early 1985. She was my first "very own dog".

Morgan completely ignored her for about three days, but on the fourth day, he dropped down into the grass and they played for what seemed forever. From then on, he took on the roll of her big brother, her guardian, her buddy.

Six months later, we brought home our first Golden retriever, MacDuff (who we nicknamed "Duff"), and a little black Labrador for our older son, who he prompty named Duncan. From then on, there was no turning back.

l-r: Friday, me and Kyra

Bryn had two litters of puppies during her lifetime. I kept Bannor from her first litter and Kyra from her second.

In this picture, I'm holding two pups that stayed with us from her second litter in 1988. The lighter-colored pup on the left, was given to our younger son. He called him King Friday the 13th (just like on Mr. Rogers), but his call name was Friday, and Kyra is the darker yellow Lab in my other arm.

l-r: Bee (Duff's sister), Samantha Rose, Kyra, young Morgan, Bryn, Bannor & Duff.

In 1997, our own dogs numbered seven. We had a six-run kennel and worked our dogs in the field nearly every day. Our building kept them cool in summer and warm in winter and they could go inside and out as they pleased. All of them were housebroken as pups, so we always rotated them in and out of the house. However, when Wisconsin winter held our days firmly in its grasp, we brought all of them in so we could keep each other warm.

As time passed, so did some of our beloved dogs. New pups came along and over the years, we were fortunate that our kennels were still populated with beautiful, affectionate and skilled working dogs.

Young Kirby with me

Kirby came along in 1999 (a gift from my BFF and her husband), and along with my yellow Lab, Bannor, young Morgan and his daughter, Kes moved with us to Florida in 2001. After Friday died, Kirby moved from our home in Florida back to our younger son's home in Wisconsin.

Kirby with me in 2007 (Wisconsin)

She still lives with them to this day. She is no longer a youngster, but a grand ol' lady who spends her days watching over our granddaughters.

Older son's dog, Conor

Conor was Kes' littermate, born in November, 1997. We gave him to our older son and our daughter-in-law that Christmas. When our grandson came along, Conor watched over him and they became fast pals.

They all lived happily together until sweet Conor passed about three weeks ago. He and his sister would be fourteen in November. He was just too tired to go on and it was his time. He will be sorely missed by those of us who knew and loved him. I think Kes may be the only dog left now from her litter.

Of course, Fezzik

Of course, you remember the little light that lived with us for a very short six months. I can't mention all the pups we've known and loved without mentioning him. Fezzik was our first little dog breed, and I know he'll forgive me for calling him small when he didn't know that he was.

While Handsome had never had a small dog his whole life, we both quickly learned that Corgis are far from being little dogs. I'd been told they are big dogs in petite bodies. I soon found that to be an accurate assessment of their personalities.

If you'd like to see more photos of our dogs, you can click here to go to my Flickr Dog album.

There is something special about having a puppy - that small version of the magnificent dogs they will become. They make us laugh. They try our patience. They stretch our imaginations. When they grow up, we remember their youth almost as well as we remember our own.

Something about us loves the feeling of renewal that comes with bringing home a new puppy. It's a joy that is unknown to those who've never had one. Not only do they seem to make an old dog feel young again, but they bring that same gift to their people. And once you've been given that gift, it's seared in your memory forever.
Thank you for joining me for another Memory Lane Monday. I didn't reach back as far as my childhood, but wanted to let you know that you needn't reach back that far to find memories that make your heart sing.

I hope you'll put a memory into words and come back and link your post to this Memory Lane Monday. I'd love to have you join us each month with a remembrance that inspires you to share it with us.