Moping

(Dogs 22)
At last came the day of parting when Skip went off to Ripon.  Then Vica was my dog -- but only the care was mine, never the heart.  She waited and waited for school to be out.  She started to mourn and mope and get thin.

Too close

(Dogs 21)
Vica and Skip were very close -- too close for her own good.  They were together every possible minute when school was out.  One night he had to leave her home and she objected so strongly I sat with her on the porch comforting her until his return long after midnight.

Tricks

(Dogs 20)
One day Skip called us outside to watch Vica do her tricks.  We expected to hear her speak and watch her sit up -- the old stanbys -- but Skip had taught her besides to jump thru a hoop, to ride on a fast moving wagon, to heel, to come, to stay, to stand, to sit -- all requisites of training for the next dog show.

Regrets

(Dogs 19)  Vica was a marvelous dog.  She really was.  And sometimes now I feel bad because I was never so very nice to her.  I complained about her size, the mud she tracked in, the new sock she quietly chewed up one evening while her master was translating his Latin and she was waiting for her walk.

Naming

(Dogs 18)
So started the reign of Vica.  I believe I really named her.  Queen and Princess seemed so worn.  One day, when visiting Skip in his shack, I suddenly said, "How about Victoria?  She was a queen and it could be a double entendre sort of -- you being victorious in winning us over."  "Yes!" said Skip, "yes, and Vica for a call name."

A matter of fact

(Dogs 17)
[Editor's Note.  Polly's account of the finding of Vica is pure fantasy.  When Skip got out of the hospital in Milwaukee, he stayed for a week with his grandfather Alfred and combed the want ads himself.  He telephoned around and found Vica.  Alfred drove him out to meet her.  The asking price was $125, and Skip was hoping that Alfred would pay for her as a gift.  Instead, Alfred loaned him the money, which he paid back $10 a month from his allowance.  When it was time for Skip to go back home, Polly and Lorin went to the kennel for the first time, and Skip took possession of his new dog.]

Victory

(Dogs 16)
"That's the dog!  That's what we have been looking for!  Oh, thank you Mother!  Thank you, Daddy!  I can hardly wait to go home."  The eager, frightening, happiness.

The search

(Dogs 15)
Grimly we bought a "Milaukee Journal" and found the ads.  About four places had German Shepherds.  We set out in our car.  What else?  --  I said, "Lorin, why are we doing this?"  Lorin said, "God knows."  One place we found sold out.  One had only a male left.  One place we never did find.  but at last we had one prospect to report, a female "with papers," parents winners in dog shows, priced right if taken soon.

Look for my dog

(Dogs 14)
"This is the ideal time to look for my dog, Daddy.  I am sure there are ads in the paper.  Just look -- will you please?  There aren't any places to get German Shepherds at home.  Please?"  --  "Skip, honey, those are great big dogs.  How can we have such a big dog in the house?"  "I'll take care of him, Mother.  Only look!  Please."

Not our dog

(Dogs 10)
Finally it registered.  "Lorin!  This isn't Jennie!"  "Sure it's our dog."  "It certainly is not."  Just then "our dog" proved me right by lifting his leg on a chair and settling the argument.  So nothing for it but to get the car out again and take him back to the clinic to exchange for our own.  "Well," said Lorin, excusing himself with a sheepish grin, "all Scotties look alike at night."

Longing for a dog

(Dogs 13)
As I remember the dogs we have had, the scene now changes, and I am looking into the big brown eyes of Vica.  She was Skip's dog, a fine German Shepherd from a breeder in Milwaukee.  He had been longing for a dog for years -- a strong dog that would be his own -- and there was always some reason for putting him off.  At length here he was in the hospital for a minor operation, and Lorin and I were there, too, visiting him.  "What can we do for you, Skip?"

Here first

(Dogs 12)
Jennie settled down well to her new home when we brought her to Richland Center.  She was getting to be an old lady now, still devoted, still my dog.  Skip complained she was not a good companion for him -- he wanted a real dog at his heels when he climbed the Town Bluff, a German Shepherd.  We said Oh no -- we couldn't have two dogs -- and Jennie was here first.  And German Shepherds are so big.

Thunder

(Dogs 11)
All so long ago now.  Sometimes still, when the thunder is bad during a storm, I almost feel that thud on the foot of my bed -- Jennie seeking out the only safe place she trusted or knew.