Lengthy Epitaph: Poindexter's Swan Song

Hey! Howdy!

Thanks for taking the time to find me. My name is Poindexter and I was a member of the Johnson Pack for 10 years. Talk about a life! Whew, it was wild and crazy and fun!

Let me tell you a little about myself since you went to all the trouble to get here.

I don't recall much of my first days. I remember getting lost and being alone in Phoenix, Arizona one night in a strip mall parking lot. I sort of assumed that was the end. Life had been good up to that point, but I was still just a puppy, so I didn't really know much.

On that dark night with cars whizzing by I first caught a glimpse of the pack leaders. They saw me huddled in a doorway, looked at me, and started having an intense conversation. I didn't know what they were going to do, but they were huge. Finally, the big one, who I will call HIM (apparently the pack leader), reached down, put out his hand and scooped me up. I was so tired and weak that anyplace would have been better than that parking lot.

HIM and HER carried me to a huge truck and drove away. I was just hoping that they wouldn't hurt me. I was clueless. Looking back, it was the BEST day of my life.

They brought me to the pack den where I was surprised to find out that they had other pack members as well. THREE of them and one was HUGE. I had never seen another dog that big. They kept calling her 'Dane' and 'Chella'.

The leaders let me sleep in their bed with them that night. There were other small creatures there as well, not dogs, but small animals that purred. I curled up and went to sleep. It was the first quiet place I had known in days.

I later found out that HER had stated that if I barked to much, they wouldn't accept me into the pack. I am glad I kept my mouth shut that night.

So started my life with the Johnson Pack. Many others came and went. Some stayed for a few days, others are still there. It was always a busy a pack den and there was always something to do.

I can't recall all the pack-mates I had; Bacchus, Max, Chella, Thunder, Lightning, Peanut, Moxy, Ava, Henry, Iris and those were just the dogs. I didn't interact with the non-pack purring crowd much. They were sort of aloof.

It took a few days to learn the pack routine and pecking order. We all got along pretty well most of the time. I quickly learned that Chella was my buddy, since nobody messed with her. I also learned where to go and not to go and what not to do. Teething on power cords was one of things not do. 120 volts going through a small dog is not fun!

The pack initially lived in a park where all of us would run and frolic each morning and we would wrestle on the living room floor each night.

Then there were trips to other pack dens, huge forests, the beach (ow the smells) and long car rides. One of the perks of being the smallest dog was 'Lap Time'. I always got the front seat, while the rest of the pack had to sit in back....SWEET!.

After a few years, we moved far south to the mountains. Different smells and different trees and plants. There was always something new and different in the Johnson Pack. And I gotta tell ya, the FOOD was excellent. I don't how other dogs survive on what they get. But HER made the best food twice a day. Needless to say, I was never really a 'thin' dog.

This lasted for almost 10 human years. I was pushing 70 dog years at the end. It was a wild ride. One that I am so glad I got to go on and I hope you all get a similar chance. My time with the Johnson Pack taught me a few things: