When I was Young, You Could Disappear to Search for your Pregnant Pointer Without an “Amber Alert”
Posted: Monday, November 14, 2011
by Christofer French
Rain Dancer Associates, LLC
When I was young, every day, all the kids in our neighborhood would melt into the tree-covered streets that bordered on Kalamazoo College and the campus of Western Michigan University.
None of us thought anything of just taking off in bunches and coming back for lunch, and then going back to the same limitless joy of being free to inhabit the same houses and streets and backdrop of Midwestern real estate. This Kalamazoo town, (yes, it’s an Indian name) sits between Detroit and Chicago. Back in the 50’s this was a bustling Midwest town. But, aside from its “busy ness”, to us kids this was our playground, and we were free to roam.
Toby was the family’s beloved dog, a beautiful English Pointer. White with characteristic burnished brown spots, and a brown “hat” that went over her eyes and ears with a white jaw. She had those friendly but imperturbable eyes. She felt like a perfect companion because she was at once a “buddy” who would lick you dry with love, and possessing of a watchfulness that the Pointer is famous for. We knew she was pregnant, but still every day, she would follow me as I got on my bicycle and joined the various kids along Cedar Street.
One day I wandered back in to the house around mid-morning and had to speak with my Mother. “I can’t find Toby. She just disappeared. She was with us about four blocks from here, over by the Doxeys.” She thought for a moment as she dried the dishes. “I think I know what she did”.
My Mother had been an Actress in New York and so attractive that all the boys would stare at her when they would come to my house. She was now a Costumiere at the Civic Players, where my Father directed.
The boys loved it that she could call for me like an opera singer: “Chri s to fer”. It sounded like a far off trumpet. She would sing out my name, and she would sing it like it was a song. Mikey would say: “Man, your Mom, she can yell for you over a mile. She’s unbelievable man, and what a looker. She’s like the Mother on “Lassie” and Miss Kitty on “Gunsmoke”.
Flo’s Pregnant Bitch in Wisconsin Would Disappear into the Darkest Hardwood Forest
“Dear, when I was a girl in Wisconsin, our family bitch would go into a deep dark forest to have her litters.
“Mom, did you say “Bitch”? I asked with wide-eyed wonder.
“Honey, the word “bitch” is about a female dog. It’s not what you hear people say on the street.”
“Oh”. I looked at her in wonder. Mikey, who came in with me, was smiling. We both thought my mother was so cool, but we didn’t know what to say.
Christofer, dear, real people are not like on TV. Real people are more plain and direct! When your Dad was kissing women on TV, you didn’t think he was really kissing them did you? ….Like kissing me when, you see us kissing and dancing in the living room?”
“Dear, you are about to get some exposure to real life.” She was taking off her apron and disappeared into her bedroom. We had a Victorian home, like so many homes in the 50’s. The “ranch style” home was just taking hold in the East and spreading to new areas of towns on the outskirts. Our home was filled with real wood everywhere. Mike and I tapped our feet on the dark stained oak wood in the hallway. “Mom, what are you doing? What about my bitch Toby?” I looked at Mikey as I said that, and we both laughed quietly.
“Sometimes pregnant bitches will run off into a deep forest and have all their puppies way far away from people. They find a hollow tree way way back into some fallen trees and then came out with a litter. But sometimes they can lose their little puppies when she needs to eat. They need help moving the pups.
Suddenly Mom was in a Pair of Pants. Wow did she have Long Legs!
“I just called your Father, we are going to leave your brother and sisters next door. Let’s go and find Toby”. She had a bag that she was loading with towels and different things boys could not figure out. A woman’s purse was a mysterious place, and you did not mess around with them. She also grabbed a big straw basket. She was really positive that we could find Toby and her kids.
“In a minute, I will have you take me to where you last saw her.”
“I could not believe she was doing all these country girl things. Mom, I have never seen you wear stuff like this.”
She was muttering to herself and me at the same time. “I was a Wisconsin country girl in the 30’s during the depression. That’s who I really am.”
It wasn’t 10 minutes, and me and Mikey and Mom were at the Doxeys. My Mom could really walk fast. She had really long legs. My Dad always said she was a “Long drink of water”, or something like that. We had to half run to keep up with her.
Mom went up on the Doxey steps and talked to Mrs. Doxey. “Our English Pointer Toby was very pregnant, I was trying to keep an eye on her because I know they sometimes slip away to deliver their litters; but her instincts acted ahead of me.”
Into a Dark Thick Stand of Old Woods
Mrs. Doxey was thinking hard as Mom talked. “I know where she went. You take this road, for about six blocks and as the road curves on the way to Oshtemo, there is a thick stand of old hardwoods, about three or so acres of really dense forest. I bet that’s where she went.”
“Thanks very much Mrs. Doxey. If it’s OK, we’re taking your Mikey.”
“No problem.”
“We should have spayed Toby, but we didn’t” Florence was still marching quickly.
“What’s spaying?” Mikey was enjoying listening to my Mother use all these strange words.
“Dear, that’s where they give a dog an operation and then she won’t have puppies anymore. That’s what I should have done. We will do that. But first we have to find her.”
We stopped at the curve to Oshtemo. We were looking at the thick woods. “Boys, I don’t want you guys to talk too much. We have to listen for the squealing of little puppies. If we talk too much, we won’t be able to hear. And watch the sap on the trees; we’re going to be really filthy when we get out of here.”
“See That Hole, I Want You to Crawl in there, I can hear the Puppies Squealing”
I kept on tripping over all the downed branches and brush and old twigs on the forest floor. Mikey and I could not move through like Mom could. It was like someone had taught her how to walk in a woods. The forest was dark even though it was a sunny day. “Come on boys. I see a perfect spot. It looks just like the spot in Wisconsin my hound Chloe used to use.”
We stood before this group of fallen trees. They were leaning on each other and rotten in varying degrees. Squirrels were jumping all over and checking us out. “Christofer, get on your knees in front of that hole and see if you can hear puppies squealing.”
I could sense that she was going to send me in there. I did what she asked. Sure enough. I could hear the tiniest little squealing.
I turned to her and Mikey and nodded and smiled. I was overjoyed.
“I Want You to crawl in there, Mikey and I will wait for you. When you find Toby, pet her and make sweet noises to her; then, start coming out, with one puppy in your hand at a time.”
The first part of the hollow tree was big enough to take me on all fours. About 10 feet in, I had to get on my elbows and crawl forward. Then I saw a splash of light where three of the logs came together. It created an open spot. I kept crawling and then emerged into the open spot. There was Toby, nursing six new puppies. Making those funny squeaky sounds, eyes closed, and ravenously hungry. I looked over then as they suckled.
Toby was extremely tired. I petted her head and made the warm sounds I always made when I talked to Toby.
“What a girl, you are Toby. You came a long way just to find this bed. If you had stayed at home, we would have given you a nice bed and everything, but, obviously you wanted to come here.”
The Pups Being Licked, Were Feasting
She kept licking her pups. They were feasting. As she licked, I told her that I was going to take one of her puppies at a time. I grabbed the chubbiest one and put a really skinny small one in the free spot. “You aint gonna suck hind tit no more.” That was another phrase my Mom taught me.
I backed out slowly, holding the puppy up so that I wouldn’t make it dirty. I came out of the log and my Mom and Mikey were tearfully happy.
“There’s five more.”
Mikey wanted to go in. That was fine with me. “Go ahead, dear. Be careful of the one you grab, and try to keep it off the ground.”
Mikey dived in like a groundhog heading for breakfast. Just a few minutes later, we could hear a muffled sound. “Wow”.
Mom had made a little bed with towels. She cleaned up each puppy as they were brought to her. Mikey and I took turns. Mikey brought the sixth puppy, and Toby was right behind him. Mom immediately greeted Toby, cleaned her up. Fed her and gave her lots of love.
A shaft of light illuminated the spot where we were sitting. For about 10 minutes we enjoyed the warming. Being in the dark, damp logs was something Mike and I hated. We spent some time picking bugs and twigs off of each other. Mom kept on tending to all of the animals. The basket she had brought along was perfect for carrying the six little bundles of life.
We dropped Mikey off at his house. Mrs. Doxey was proud that she could figure out where Toby’s Delivery Room was. I carried the basket with the puppies and Toby led the way. Mom walked the streets and was singing Irish songs. All the kids were excited and wanted to pet the puppies, but I would not let them. They were too sensitive. I felt protective and just a little bit heroic.
The next day, I would go back to my regular routine of being a kid on Cedar Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Every day was fun and free and full of lots of games, and trips, and sometimes, fights, and even sometimes, going into garages and playing kissing games with neighborhood girls. It was life full of so much freedom that we did not even know how free we were.
The Day we went after Toby and her Puppies I remember as an unforgettable event on Cedar Street, when most of my days were just fun and free, that blended into a wonder of days gone by, and never will be again, on Cedar Street in Kalamazoo in the 50’s, with Mikey, and yes, Mom!
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Awesome story, and it was just like being there with the puppies...Thanks, so much Elle. It was quite a little journey disappearing into a dark tree and pulling little handfuls of life out.
You outdid yourself with this wonderful memory and thanks for sharing it with us.I got lost in the memory of it. What a time. Thanks for your comment.
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Hi Christofer.
This is absolutely beautiful! I was sorry when it ended.
Hugs,
DianneThat's wonderful praise. Thanks.
Reading this was like watching a movie, Christofer, I got completely engrossed, it was wonderful. Your mother sounds like such a great woman!She really was a country girl at her core. Thanks for your comment about the movie. I tried to make it a tale that would be fun to follow.
This was wonderful -- I could see everything you were describing which is what every good story does. Thanks for sharing that wonderful memory with us.Thank you, somebody shot this in my head. I just described the old movie. It was a 16mm of the heart.
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