Bubba Saves Mom

 

above: an image of the Dickin medal awarded to animals for gallantry.  

It reads "We also serve"

Bubba certainly demonstrated gallantry toward me. 

Bubba Saves Mom 

  I have written and deleted this post a couple times already.   It is a true story, but hard to relive and hard to write.  Somehow it makes it too real.   I have written funny stories about the things our old dog Bubba did.   This one has one funny event and one that is serious as a heart attack.   He proved his worth many times over.   I am 100% sure I'd not be here to tell the tale if not for him.  God is good every single day and this was a God Moment for sure.  

            I trained Bubba from the time he was a puppy.   I house broke him to go outdoors to potty.

I  taught him to heel, sit, stay, roll over, play dead, shake hands, speak soft and loud.  I was teaching him to find things by scent.    He was half lab and half chow. Both parents pure bred dogs, but different breeds.     His mother was named China and was a pure bred cinnamon chow.   His dad a pure bred black Labrador retriever.     He had all the good traits of both breeds and none of the bad ones. That said we were warned by our veterinarian that we would always have to keep him socialized and watch out carefully as he aged.  Chows can be vicious and grow more likely to attack as they get older.   

          The Labrador Retriever dog came from Newfoundland and was a product of selective breeding probably by Basques who traded with the people of Newfoundland.    The Saint Johns water dog was their forebear and that diverged into two breed standards.  The Newfoundland which was a draft animal and used to save people from the sea, and the Labrador Retriever which was primarily a hunting dog. They date back to around 1830.   

The chow chow is an even more ancient breed of dog dating back to 8300 years ago.  They are descendants of a now extinct animal that was part canine and part bear.    It was called the simocyon. 

        Chow chows like the simocyon had 44 teeth. Bears have 44 teeth.  Bears have a purple-blue tongue.  Chows have a purplish blue tongue.   Bubba really did have a huge purple tongue hanging out of his mouth..   They were bred for food, as palace guards for the Chinese emperor, and has hunting and herding dogs.   They tend to be one person dogs, but can be socialized and if kept socialized will attach themselves to families rather than just one person.    They do NOT like to bark and are generally quiet.   A chow if it was a person will never talk and warn you what they are getting ready to do. They just do it.   No barking or "talking" ahead of the action.   The only other dog that barks less is the Egyptian Basenji which never barks.  If Bubba barked  you'd best pay attention because it meant something.   I had no idea when we got him and I trained him that he was schutzhund material.  

    Bubba was a fierce protector.  He once tried to dig down a metal door because he thought we were in danger.  We were watching the movie Braveheart and it was the battle scene at Culloden.   We heard him and let him indoors.  He was so upset he was shaking. He had to go around the room and love on and check each one of us for hurts.    We turned the movie off and kept him indoors the rest of the night.  He did not care for indoors for sleeping as he was very hot natured.  

      We had his bed in the garage and kept the door up about 2 feet or so to allow him to come and go to  do his toileting.    He came in the house when he wanted to.    

Bubba Saves Mom from the Skunk

          The practice of leaving the door raised caught up with me one night.  I was getting ready for bed when I realized I'd left my purse in my car.   I went out to get it.  Kenny was in bed but not asleep yet. The children were long in bed and sound asleep.   I stepped out and turned on the light.   Out of the corner of my eye I noticed motion near my left ankle.   I looked and there was a pole cat in the garage. I leaped onto the hood of my car.   I screamed as I did.   The next thing I knew there was a blur of black fur and the skunk was gone!   I leaped down and ran inside. I ran to the other end of the house leaping into the bed. I landed sitting in Kenny's chest.  I was scared silly thinking I darn near got sprayed. 

   He comforted me then we both said "Bubba!"  and I took off to look for him.  He had taken the skunk outside and bitten it once through the neck killing it instantly. It never had time to spray for he was that fast in his actions.   He was fine.  I hugged his neck and thanked him.  I got him settled in the garage and this time shut the door all the way.  If I had to clean up a mess from dog pee or poop so be it.   I went to bed relieved.  

     The next morning he was sitting up on the bank in the back yard by his dead skunk.  He was so proud that he had killed it and saved mom!   

Above: Two actual skunk photos taken by me with my cell phone in my yard!  

Above and below is Bubba. The bottom image you can see his blue tongue. 

Bubba Saves Mom from a Car Load of Drunks

    It was Sunday March 5, 2000 and it was my mother-in-law's birthday.   Kenny, myself and our children went to church and afterwards left to meet the rest of the family. We planned to drive to Charlottesville, Va to eat lunch at The Wood Grill which Lena loved.    We had a group of  about a dozen  people.  We had a wonderful lunch and celebrated her birthday.  The rest of the crew planned to stop by Jim and Debbie's house on the way home to watch a NASCAR race.   I was not interested in watching the race, but decided to head on home.  I was very disciplined and ran every day.   I had not done my daily work out so I'd get my run for the day over with.  It was a beautiful clear Spring day. 

         I   passed a car load of young men as I was turning into our long country lane.   I don't know why, but something made me really take notice of them.   I think it is partly that we lived in an isolated area so you tend to notice people who don't live in the area.  They stand out.    These were strangers.     I went in the house and changed very quickly into exercise clothes.  I jerked my hair into a pony tail.  I washed off any make up.  I put on my running shoes and headed for the door.  I never let Bubba come walking or running with me near the road.  We figured if you have a 255 acre farm  there is no reason why he needs to start going near the road.   

             Today we had been gone since before Sunday school.  I felt bad for leaving again. Something told me to take the dog with me.  I invited him to go running with me and he happily went along.  

We lived in an isolated area.  My in-laws lived  next door, but to reach any neighbor it was over half mile to their house.  Today they were also at Jim's house.    We were among the last three or four houses on this entire stretch of road. We lived in an extremely remote, rural area.   It is an Ag-Forestal district meaning no development will be allowed.   No subdivisions or industry..  It is twenty five miles in any direction to a town.  It was eight miles to the nearest gas station.     I am including an embedded map below. If you look at it you can see an aerial view of the place and what it is like.  

 

     I ran out the gravel lane with Bubba trotting by me.  We got out onto the blacktop road and ran ever onward.  I hated running, but did it just the same.   I ran about 1.10 miles out and then ran back.  I ran down to the bridge over Moffatt's Creek and back each time.  The neighbor in the opposite direction had a pack of vicious dogs which had chased me in the past.    I had to pass one and only one neighbor's house about 3/4 of the way out.    I got just past the neighbor's house when I heard a car approaching.  I stepped over into the ditch and got hold of the dog by his collar to keep him safe.   I took a look and it was that little compact car with four or five young men in it.   The stopped and opened the rear door.  The smell of beer came pouring out of the inside of the vehicle.   It smelled like a  brewery.  They were drunk as Lords and ready for trouble.   They were talking smack  and coming toward me.  I slid my arm through the dogs collar while wrapping my other arm around his neck and shoulders.   I screamed and hollered for all I was worth.   The dog who had already been edgy was now in full alert.  He was barking, snapping at them and growling like he was rabid.    He knew they intended to harm me.

         I figured my best chance lay in making the task of grabbing me just as difficult as possible. 

I figured a 100 lb dog and a 100 lb woman who were both putting up a fight improved my odds some.

The dog was losing his mind at this point.   They decided a screaming woman holding onto a vicious dog was not not worth it and they got back in the car and took off.    I got hold of the dog's collar and took off back toward home as they sped away in the opposite direction.    I leaped the fence and pulled it up for Bubba to squeeze under.  I ran cross country that day.   I never slowed down until I was in my own yard.  I went in and sat down and held onto my dog.    I finally composed myself behind locked doors.   It wasn't long until Kenny and the kids came home.   His folks gave them a ridge back from James and Debbie's house.   I was relieved he was home.  I felt better.   

      The next morning I got my kids ready for school and put them on the bus.  I came back in as I had the day off from work.   I sat down to check email and have a second cup of coffee.   The realization and the gravity of the situation from the previous day hit me.  I had not told Kenny or anyone. I did not call the sheriff.  I just stuffed it down and pretended it never happened.   I know that if they had gotten me into that car it is likely no one would ever have seen me again.    

     I had a come apart in a big, big way.   I called my father in law next door to come over please. He did and I told him what went on.  I called my work and had him take me up there to be seen.  I was given some tranquilizers to take the edge off my nerves.    It helped a lot.   I told Kenny what went on. 

We got busy looking for  a piece of exercise equipment. I never went running along the road again.  

I got a tread mill and put it in the basement and used it faithfully until the belt had to be replaced. 

I still went running outdoors, but only in safe places.  I would drive down to the high school thirteen miles away and run on the track during the hours when people were around.  I did not take anymore foolish risks like that.    I thank God for Bubba and his brave, fierce spirit.   He saved me.  

He has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but he was a warrior in the dog kingdom. My companion and protector always.      

   Below:  This is Moffatts Creek as it flows along at the back of our farm.  I included this to illustrate what a remote area this is.  You would think living out that far that no one would bother you, but that sure wasn't the case.    The down side is no one much is around to help you either.  

Above: Me with my big ole runner legs back at that time.   Sitting in my daugther's room.  

Above: Me and Bubba and Jared. We had gone for a walk in March as a family. We walked out across the farm, down through our woods, down the bluff to the creek and back to the road and around to our drive way.  We hiked a 2.80 mile loop.   Bubba loved water!   

Below: Walking across Milton Miller's bridge with Jared

Below: Bubba in Moffatt's Creek --next two images 

Above: me with my good boy and protector in the back yard.   

    Bubba Bulldogs the Cows  

   Our little daughter, Crystal, decided to take up playing the trumpet when she was in fifth grade or so.

She had her Uncle Stevie's trumpet to begin with, but we later got her a new one.   When she first got it she took it out on the farm and messed around playing it for the cows to see what they would do.  Whatever song she was playing was a challenge directly to the cows for they would come running!

It called the cows in to the barn from all over the farm. It also made Mr. Bull want to fight.   Bubba loved it.  He was a good dog and never chased the cows unless we told him to.    I did not know at the time chow chow dogs were used to herd animals!    It all makes sense now.  He was like a rodeo cowboy after those cattle acting as both the cowboy, the horse, and the rodeo clown!    

       Below is a series of photos of him bulldogging cows.    He loved it!   He was hilarious to watch. He thought on those days he was Cowboy Bill Pickett.  

Below: Step 1 --Crystal gets out the trumpet and starts to play.  

Below: Bubba at stage 1 of fighting cows

Below: Bubba stage 2 cow fighting 

Below: Bubba has won.  The cows are defeated and walk off.  

Below: Just a cute photo of Jared at age 9 pretending to play trumpet on Grandma Koogler's fence.  

Above:  November 2000-- Crystal and Jared and me playing in the front yard. Raking up leaves to hide each other and jump in the maple leaves.   

Below: Me and Bubba. November 2000. We are getting ready to go watch Riverheads play football against Lynchburg for the state championship. My nephew Jay was a senior this year and a vital member of the football team.  What a game to remember! They won!  I was in full regalia to cheer them on though my kids forbid it!   This is at our old home in Virginia. Kenny built this house for us.  This is the back yard with the garage on the left and my kitchen window on the right.   

Below is a real of a blue heeler working cattle.   I love how smart dogs and versatile they can be!