I have had a few pets in my life. All of them were dogs – my favourite animal: loyal, funny, and helpful.

I had them when I lived on the farm. There were three in total: two German Shepherd-Collie cross females, and a purebred German Shepherd female. I had the three of them at the same time, but my family has always had dogs. My mom has two dogs on her acreage near Mundare. My youngest brother has two on his farm near Elk Island Park, and when I visit them, I enjoy the time I have with their dogs.

My first memories of a dog were when I was maybe three or four years old on the farm, watching my Dad send “Gypsy,” a Collie, to chase the gophers. My dad taught my brothers and me to respect all animals, to treat them with care and love. When they were sick we took them to the vet for treatment, but sometimes (as with most farm folk) we had to take care of them as humanely and quickly as possible. Those of you who grew up on a farm will know what I am talking about.

We made sure they had shelter, good food and water, and made them behave. Sometimes they would sit in the water trough to cool off in hot weather. This drove us crazy because the horses wouldn’t drink from the trough – it had to be drained, cleaned, and refilled, which was about a three hour job. However, we still loved our dogs.

Finally, they loved to go for rides into the Fort (Fort Saskatchewan). Sometimes there would be a “discussion” about which dog was going to sit on the seat and which dog had to lie on the floor. I have had many dog bites ending these “discussions,” but I still loved and laughed at them during these times.

It’s been 40 years since I have had a dog. The last one, Tammy, I had to put down because she couldn’t walk very well any longer. We went for a final walk in the woods one day with my wife and brothers and I said goodbye to her there. I still have good memories of my companions from my time in the country, and I hope all of you have had similar memories with your pets.