The Chuck-less Wonder Dog
Notice the ever-present tennis ball. I say neat things to Chuck when I trip on it!
More than a few years ago my friend called me in a panic. She had hired a manager for her new feed store and the person left a voicemail the day she was supposed to start working stating that the job was just going to be too much for her. I told my friend I would be completely happy to help her out at the store until she could find a replacement. I stayed a year.
During that year I learned a lot about animal diets and healthcare. I also spent at least half of my paycheck on feed and supplies for the farm, ended up with a lot of baby poultry, rabbits, and most importantly, Chuck.
One day a woman came in with a little fur ball in her arms. This was not an uncommon occurrence. The thing that made the situation a little memorable was the woman was clearly under the influence of methamphetamine. She twitched and placed her fur pile on the counter, and it roused itself from it's shutter-filled slumber. I vaguely remember some tale about her husband saying she couldn't keep the little floof. The tiny puppy walked up to me, and it proceeded to sit and stare into my eyes. It let out a little yip and a few hours later I introduced our newest family member to my people. That was nine years ago this month.
This picture is a graphic representation of just why I took Chuck home: behold the cuteness!
Chuck is an interesting dog. He is completely obsessed with the house. I am pretty sure if we expired he wouldn't really notice, but if the house were to disappear he would be heartbroken.
A more gentle-natured creature I have yet to meet. Cats take time out of their indifferent existence to rub along Chuck's form and purr when they see him. Birds, horses, pigs, rabbits, and bovines run to him not from him. He employs a gentle herding technique that I am sure is a physical demonstration of what most self-help books describe as positive reinforcement.
An Example:
I had a hair sheep ram, Leroy. He decided to visit the neighbor's goat herd. Leroy did not want to walk the 1200 feet back to his pen and instead plopped his carcass down in the middle of the road like the stubborn creature that he was. I really didn't want to pull or drag all two hundred plus pounds of mutton down the road to the barn, and had sent my husband to grab the tractor. I was going to put Leroy in the bucket (I've done lots of weird things like this over the years). While Tom was gone collecting the tractor, Chuck walked up and started licking Leroy's back legs. That ram rocketed into the air and dragged me down the road. Thanks to Chuck we got Leroy back to the barn in seconds and I got a good amount of cardio in for the day!
Chuck's only negative trait is his fetching obsession. Our boxer cross Boss Hog taught Chuck to fetch when he was a puppy. Ever since that fabled day our attempts to travel anywhere on the farm have been impeded by sticks and balls galore. You cannot sit on a couch at my house without a tennis ball or sock shoved up under or placed on top of your legs. The worst part is that he doesn't utter a sound, rather he looks at you with this silent, and frankly annoying persistence that drives you crazy. I am constantly tripping over countless sticks outside the back door. People's kids leave their toys laying around, Chuck leaves sticks, balls, and socks everywhere.
In all honesty though, he has been such a wonderful dog. I can always count on his help to put away a loose animal. I never have to worry about him hurting anybody or anything. He doesn't bark unless there is an emergency. He will talk to you though if you touch his legs! He has an amazing tenderness about him that is really remarkable. When we had goats he would sit out at the barn while they were kidding and make sure the babies were okay. I mean, this dog is best friends with a rabbit, how cool is that?
Chuck and Spotless Sputnik during one of their hang out sessions
And as always the pictures and video in this post were taken on my crusty old digital camera and my Chuck hair covered iPhone.