Woody Wood Chomper

May 31, 2013 at 11:00 am · Filed under stories and tagged: Babie, Dog, family, Pets, Puppies, Yellow Lab

< by Brennan >

Getting your first dog is a wonderful experience as a young boy. You have a new partner in crime, someone who is going to share the good and the bad. Your first dog is a new friend to play with.

Well, like all friendships, sometimes they can go a little sour. Our first dog was a male yellow lab, one of the sweetest dogs out there. From day one, we couldn’t contain him. The house, which was supposed be ours, soon became his playground. He used the backyard like a sodding company would.

We couldn’t figure out a name for the dog, but it came pretty easily when he turned from chewing on the toys we got him to chewing and eating anything wooden in the house: furniture, tables, even picture frames that might be a little low hanging. Thus Woody was christened.

Despite all of the damages and nerve strains Woody inflicted, he was still my friend. A good, loyal companion that was always up for an adventure, even though adventure usually meant chasing Woody to the ends of the earth because he would flee our house the first chance he got.

It eventually got to the point that my parents couldn’t deal with Woody any longer. The hair all over the place, the destruction of household items, and the mounting maintenance costs for this one-dog wrecking crew had pushed them to the limit. One night, they sat me down with my brother to explain that Woody had to go.

I was distressed. Woody, despite his many flaws, was my first dog. He was my partner, someone I could always turn to when I needed comfort, or a gnawing of the head, whichever he felt like giving. My parents could tell I and my brother weren’t happy. With Woody by our side, my father explained that we would each receive $50 when he was gone to the farm they had found for him.

Without blinking, my brother Stewart turned to Woody and, petting him gently on the head, said, “We’re going to miss you, buddy.” I guess everyone has their price.

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