Best Dog-gone Dog In The West

"Here Yeller,
Come back Yeller
Best Dog-gone Dog In The West

Old Yeller was a hunter
A rarin’ tearin’ hunter
In many chase he knew just how to run

And when he hunted trouble
He always found it double
And that’s when old yeller had fun

Old Yeller was a fighter
A rootin’ tootin’ fighter
In many scrap he knew just what to do
A rough and ready feller
Although his coat was yeller his bold texas heart was true blue”

-Old Yeller Theme Song, Disney 1957

Have you ever seen this movie? It’s great! I was lucky enough to be left home with the Television on one day when it came on. Seeing as I am blind, I could really only listen to the movie. I don’t know why they call the dog “Old Yeller”. He’s clearly a German Shepherd. What with his bravery and loyalty? The ending really choked me up.

Which leads me into my next bit of good news. Yesterday, I got adopted! This great family from Trinidad, Colorado drove three hours just to pick me up. I feel like I’m living the life of ‘Old Yeller’. I have my own little boy who I can nearly look in the eyes. He calls me “Kesser”.

Just like in 'Old Yeller', the father has gone somewhere. I imagine to a trading outpost to pick up the little boy’s horse? At any rate, I wish I’d been there when he left to hear him give me the charge to protect everyone. I’ll do it anyhow, but it really would have felt like I was living the movie if that had happened.

My first night, I was ready to crawl into the little boy's closet and bed down for the night, when he called me over and patted his bed.

“Kesser,” he whispered. “Up here Kesser”.

Now I haven’t been up in a bed in years. I put my paws up and tried to propel upward with my back legs. To my dismay, I couldn’t do it. But then the most wonderful thing happened. My little boy crawled down out of bed, and heaved and hoed until my legs found a place where I could get a grip and climb on up. He jumped up next to me and I lay down right next to him, his little arms wrapped around my neck. I fell asleep with his warm breath on the back of my neck.

I pray at night for my real Daddy (not the Daddy here, whenever he comes home). I pray too for my daughter, B’Ehllana, who I shared the closet with for so many years. I hope she understands. I miss all of them, but I have to say, having my own family is everything my Daddy said it would be.

As the weeks go by, the memories of my old life fade. I see the little boy clearer each and every day. Though my eyes are mostly blind, a little light trickles in. I see his outline as he grows.

But most of all, I see his heart. And I don’t need eyes to see that.

Signing Off,

Kess

Kess pontificates on blindness

My name is Kess. I am 8 years old (not in dog years). I am mostly blind. I spend most of my days curled up in a closet with my daughter. I have a tendency to eat the other dogs’ food and get upset if they get too close to me while I’m doing it. I’ve been waiting to be adopted for three years.

This is how that last part goes. Daddy tells everyone how wonderful I am. He even tells them that I am almost blind so there won’t be any surprises. They want to know what else is wrong with me. Nothing! I’m a great dog! I mean other than being blind.

Some of these people even come out to see me. I wander around rubbing up against them, begging for a pat on the head Sometimes they do stupid things like throw the ball in a direction where I’m most likely to run into a tree. Then, when I run into the tree, after the stupid ball that they tossed, they realize that they wouldn’t like to take me home because most likely they would throw balls at trees.

Probably the most ironic adoption experience I’ve had to date dealt with another sight challenged being. This family came out to see me, right? Two little girls and a Mom and Dad. By the way, I love other females! Anyhow, this Dad, he was nearly blind too. I thought I was a shoe in. The dad didn’t want to go on long walks or need a big brute to protect him. He just needed some companionship. I can understand that, hanging out in the closet all day. I thought we would be kindred spirits.

The two little girls loved me too. They threw the ball for me, even though I almost mistook one of their hands for the ball. It was a close call. See what I mean? The Dad loved me and I nearly made his daughter a stumpy armed little girl! But the mom…. I did my best to woo her. I asked to be petted by looking up at her with my most puppy dog eyes. And all she saw was my blindness.

“Look at her eyes! Why are they that weird color?” she said in a dissatisfied tone.

I could tell she didn’t like me. She didn’t like me because my eyes are strange from the blindness. Maybe Daddy should put dark glasses on me like Ray Charles before he shows me to people. While he’s at it, throw in a white cane too! Maybe we could get one of those “dog for the blind” harnesses. Me and this guy could walk around the block, the blind leading the blind! It would be great! But she did not like me. She kept commenting on my eyes and on my coat. Nobody had brushed me in awhile and your coat kind of gets frumpy when your main activity is hiding out in the closet all day.

So, they said they’d talk it over and get back to us. I wonder. How does that man feel now? His wife didn’t want a blind dog. To her, I was useless; I was stupid for running into the tree. Does he ever wonder what she thinks about him?