The new Spuddy and family

You’ve probably heard the old story about the three pawed dog that limped into an old west saloon, plops down his six-gun on the bar and says to the bartender, “I’m looking for the man that shot my Paw” (now to those not familiar with American colloquialisms “Paw” is an expression used for “father” and, is of course, the word used correctly for a dog’s foot). If you’re over 50 you’ll know that the standard theme in many old western movies was one of a vengeful son looking for the killer of his father, which makes this more of a pun than a joke.

So, whats my point? Anger and vengeance are poor motivators. They only land you in deeper trouble. You see, my dog Spud got “taken out” by a cobra about three years ago, so we replaced him with a new dog “Spuddy”. Now, old Spud, was a cold blooded rat killer. If you put him in a pen of 16 rats in 60 seconds you’d have 16 dead rats and one happy Spud. I think the rats hired the cobra to put a “hit” on Spud.

Like two gunfighters squaring off on Main Street at high noon, both the cobra and Spud went down in a blaze of glory. New Spuddy has little interest in rats, but he kills every snake within 100 meters. He’ll take out a rat if he meets him face-to-face, but he’ll walk a mile for a snake. It may well eventually be the end of him, but he’s killed dozens of snakes. Seeking revenge for the murder of his “Paw”. However, right now he’s more interested in being “Stud” than “Spud”. He’s got 13 kids and he’s only three.