A Story of a Cowboy and His Cow Dog

Twelve years ago a black-eyed girl met a tall, skinny cowboy with a red and white cow dog named Chuckie. The girl didn't really like dogs but wanted to give him a chance. Before too long, she joined the tall cowboy and his red cow dog and they became a family. The cow dog loved to play fetch and could catch anything before it hit the ground. The local kids loved it when they saw the red dog coming up the street to the park. Eventually one young son was added to the family, then two, and then three. There was never a problem with barking, jumping, or chasing cars. He did like to chew on large rocks and leave them on the lawn, though. The black-eyed mom and tall cowboy never had to worry about the furry red dog around the kids. The red cow dog loved his cowboy. When the tall cowboy left on his horse, the furry cow dog was right there with him. He loved his cowboy buddies, too, and never left them even when the frigid winter came and the warm, inviting barn was calling his name. He stayed right there on the front porch by his family. He was a great cow dog and would bite cows all day. The tall cowboy said this was a good thing and that he was the best cow dog he had ever known. Many years down the road, the lovable red cow dog was showing his age. He loved to bask in the sun and would lay there for hours...until his cowboy came home, that is. Eventually his hearing went, his teeth wore down from all the rocks, and he didn't have the energy he once had. The family loved the red cow dog but knew that he would not be with them much longer. One fine summer, the tall cowboy got the job of a lifetime...the kind of job where you need a great cow dog. Unfortunately the furry red dog was no longer able to participate. He would look longingly at his cowboy as he would leave the barnyard, horses in tow. The tall cowboy wished that he could take the red cow dog with him and so he decided to take his companion up into the mountains with him, just to camp and enjoy the serenity of a mountain summer. The cow dog loved being with his cowboy and wanted to go push cows but he had to resign to the fact that he just couldn't. Still, he was content to just be with his cowboy. Then one day after a long day's work, the cowboy came back to camp and found his cow dog paralyzed from the waist down. After looking into his big eyes, the tall cowboy made the impossible decision and decided to do for his cow dog what the cow dog couldn't do for himself. It was very hard for the tall cowboy for the beautiful red dog had been his companion for fourteen years. The beautiful red cow dog was buried in a lovely grove of quaking aspen trees in cow country. The girl was heartbroken, for she had finally learned to see the joy and grace in the beautiful red cow dog. However, she is comforted because she knows that all good cow dogs go to heaven.