Tucker: My "Little Man"

Tucker at 16 Years

23 Oct 1991 - 09 Jun 2008

I adopted Tucker from The Foundation For the Care of Indigent Animals in San Diego on October 23, 1993. I had fostered many dogs for Penny at my store, but there was something about Tucker that made him stand out in my heart more than the others. For example, one day I had him outside for a walk when I had to run back into the store to answer the phone. He got all excited running in with ears flying and tail flagged. While I was on the phone I watched him as he sat quietly with the most loving expression on his face. The way he looked at me, all adoringly...well, I had to have him! Of course, I already had Sydney, my Australian Shepherd, and then there was the horse, the rabbit, the two cats, two birds, two guinea pigs, and 3 aquariums! I certainly didn't need another animal. I thought it would be nice for Sydney to have a canine companion when I wasn't home. After doing some minor renovations to the house, and having the adoption approved, Tucker came home from work with me. I had my sister, Margaret, bring Sydney outside to a neutral area where they could be introduced. After the initial grumbling, growling, and raised hackles they started to get playful with each other. When we saw that we knew they would get along fine.

He may have seemed like a small dog but that's because of the Corgi length, or rather the shortness, of his legs. Besides the Welsh Corgi he probably had Springer Spaniel in him and maybe some Longhair Dachshund. Hard to tell with these wonderfully unique "Special Blend" doggies. People used to ask me if he was Sydney's baby. She was a black-tri too, but, no they simply complimented each other well in every way.

When I moved across the country in 1997, Sydney and Tucker rode in the cab of the U-Haul Truck. Sydney was on the seat between my friend, Sally, and me. Tuck was on the floor on the passenger side. They were so good the whole trip. They thought it was neat to be getting constant petting and going for walks in new places. They enjoyed the night in the hotel too! Probably because it wasn't moving!

One of the reasons I was approved to adopt Tucker was that I didn't have children. He was very aggressive toward young boys and not all that nice with girls either. At the time I adopted him I certainly wasn't planning on having a child so I foresaw no trouble in that area. In 1997 when I found out that I was going to have a baby, my husband and I were VERY concerned that Tuck would have to go back to Penny in San Diego. I read about what to do to acclimate dogs to having a baby in "their" home and went to work getting Tucker and Sydney prepared. When we brought our daughter home at 2 days of age, the doggies were very curious and totally accepting of the new addition to the family.

On September 30, 2000 Sydney had to be euthanized. She had almost made it to 14 years of age, but our beloved companions never live long enough. I took Tucker with us to the vet so that he could say goodbye, and have some idea that she was gone. I kept him with me continually, and he handled her absence fairly well. However, he did not tolerate being left alone like he had before Sydney left us. We ended up taking him with us whenever possible but sometimes he just had to stay home.

He not only tolerated my daughter, but appeared to feel great concern for her as well. He was very trusting of her and showed his vulnerability without hesitation. He was the best "upside down" dog I'd ever been around and would often lie on his back for her to pet him. Most of his serious sleeping was done on his back with his legs shamelessly splayed. He had a wonderful Bowser Donut Bed, which he loved but when he got too warm he headed for the hardwood floor.

As he got older he had cloudy lenses, a gray muzzle, and an occasional pain that caused him to limp. But, even at 17 he still got really frisky at times. He acted like he was going to climb the giant trees after the squirrels. He'd rush out the door with his head and tail up lookin' for trouble. He followed me around so much that I felt guilty for all of things that kept me going from morning 'til night. At 15 he developed a heart murmur and a cough for which he received medication daily. He didn't seem to get markedly worse until June 7, when he couldn't stop coughing. The cough suppressant didn't work and he was miserable. We had him euthanized on June 9 and his remains cremated the following weekend. We'd been together for almost 15 years. I still cry when I look at his photos and videos. I hope I never forget the feeling I got when my "Little Man" looked at me. I am certain he knew how special he was to me by the way I looked at him.

Related Link

• My Darling Doggies (Flickr Photo Set)

My Feline Friends

Cats are such a unique and strong presence in a home. I often think about my cats, who are all gone, as they gave me much joy and affection.

I have spent time with many other cats at animal shelters, by fostering them, and by volunteering with a feral cat group in California. Not all cats are aloof. Really, they're not. (Willie was the only one that fit that description.) The other 6 were attentive, loving, and loyal. Pretty good percentages if you ask me.

Honey (1994 - 2009)

We adopted this handsome orange tabby from a family member in 2004. He was so timid and frequently hid under the bed. Thankfully, he left that behavior behind shortly after coming to live with us. He was quite vocal and was not shy about asking for attention. He was tall, lean, and pretty active for a senior kitty. He loved being groomed and he rubbed his face on just about anything you held in front of him, particularly books while my daughter was reading them. He had a cat bed but preferred sleeping on my daughter's bed. He enjoyed sitting in the windows and he faithfully used his scratching post. He waited politely every evening for playtime with the laser light toy and he raided the trash can for paper wads to bat around.  Honey was a very cool cat and superb a companion. We all miss him very much!

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Stuff

This big guy was one of two feral cats that lived in my father's neighborhood. My dad thought that Stuff (named Fluff 'n Stuff by the kids in the neighborhood) was a kitten from the female cat. Dad eventually had "Mama Cat" spayed, and Stuff neutered. He built them a little house and fed them so they didn't have to raid trashcans to eat. Mama Cat disappeared but Stuff stayed around my dad's house. When my dad was leaving the state I took Stuff to my place of employment. He was so frightened in the beginning, but as time went on he became quite friendly with my employees and me. He adored being petted, scratched, and groomed.  He adapted to being an indoor cat very well; faithfully using a litter box and his scratching furniture. He would come downstairs to keep watch over me while I was on the sales floor but would run upstairs if something frightened him. He was somewhere around 8 years old when he came to stay with me. He lived for about 10 more years.  For starting life as a feral cat, Stuff sure seemed to appreciate his lifestyle change. I certainly appreciated the affection he freely gave to me.

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Willie

After Topanga died I had to get through my grief period. After that, I still wanted to have a house cat, so I went to some local shelters in search of one. In December 1987 my friend, Deborah, and I went to one of the local shelters to spend time with the cats. After several shy but sweet kitties came to visit us, Willie was brought in. He was a big guy with a horribly aggressive personality. The volunteer said he was termed "un-adoptable" because he always scared potential adopters. Well, silly me, I put in my application, and the wait was on. In a few days, I was notified that I was approved to adopt him.  On my day off I drove to the shelter to pick him up. I had brought a plastic kennel, but they insisted that I take him home in a cardboard one. By the time we arrived home, he had successfully torn his way out! For the first month he remained in the master bedroom away from the 4 dogs, and all of the small animals. Every time I tried to pet him he would scream at me and walk away in a tiff. Once, while I was giving him long strokes down his back he turned around and bit through the skin between my thumb and finger! I learned then that I had to make him come to me.  As the months went on we worked out a routine. He had no trouble with the dogs or small animals. He would follow me around the house while I did chores. He greeted me each day when I came home from work, and would lead me to his food bowl so that I could watch him eat. He slept on the bed with me, but always at the foot. He was wonderful to bathe and groom, but the veterinarian and his staff were scared to death of him! I always had to go get him out of the crate after they were done taking care of him. He would drink out of the dog bowl only after swiping his paws over the surface of it for a few minutes. He loved cantaloupe and would eat it to the rind. He would lie only on the back of the couch when I was seated on it; always above, never beside me. He was so dominant! He never purred, and his only vocalizing was a scolding type of meow. He's been gone for many years, but my memories of him are still vivid.

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Bailey

In 1983, a litter of two-week old kittens was dropped off where I worked. There were 6 of them. During the day we tried to place them with someone, and at the last moment, a man (who already had 13 cats!) took 5 of them. I was elected to take the 6th one home to raise.  I named her Bailey. She took to the Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) and grew up to be a healthy, beautiful girl. She was supposed to be more of a foster cat than my personal one, but I ended up keeping her until she was 3 years old. I placed her with a nice family when I got married because my new husband's dog was horribly aggressive. One day at work I got a phone call from a woman who had found poor Bailey dead on the side of the road. She still had her collar and ID tag with my name and contact information. I called the family and found that they were on vacation. The person who was taking care of the animals hadn't known she was supposed to remain inside and had let her out. Another beautiful little girl lost in the dangerous world outside.

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Tuyen

This stunning girl belonged to one of my grandmother's friends. Tuyen's father was Tonkinese, and her mother was a black and white Manx. She had lovely coloring, brilliant blue eyes, no tail (called a Rumpy Manx), and was a polydactyly (extra toes on each foot.) To say that Tuyen wasn't quite right, intelligence-wise, is an understatement. She was sweet but had no clue how to adjust to situations. She rarely seemed to learn from life.  A favorite veterinarian suggested that Tuyen had schizophrenic tendencies. I tried to keep her safe from herself, and from the world, but barking dogs so horribly frightened her one night that she escaped out-of-doors, and was hit by a car. After a frightfully long drive to the emergency hospital at midnight, they told me she could not survive her injuries. The poor sweet girl was only 3 years old.

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Topanga

If there was ever a cat born especially for me, Topanga was it. She lived at a barn, where I worked the horses. I ended up taking her mother to get spayed and bringing this little gray furball home with me. She had a little monkey face and more personality than I had ever seen in a cat. She loved me as much as I loved her, and she showed it at every opportunity. She moved with me several times but never seemed to be overly stressed by being uprooted. She was clean, affectionate beyond description, had excellent manners, and was my feline soul mate. She always greeted me immediately upon my arriving home. She would jump up on the coffee table, wrap her front legs around whatever part of me she could reach, and rub me affectionately with her chin, often drooling just a bit. She would always be in my lap as soon as it was a lap, "doing toes,” as I called her kneading. She would do toes on my legs, turn around, put her front legs on my shoulders, and give me kisses on my chin. One of her favorite things was to curl up in my clothes or bath towel when I was done with them. My roommate and I thought Topanga looked like The Pink Panther character. We would hum the music when she was about, and it surely fit her personality. For months after she suddenly died from an aneurysm, my mind would picture her running around the corner to greet me. How lucky I was to have had her in my life!

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Kristofer David

When I was 16 a Siamese cat got in our car, came home with us, got out of our car, and roamed the neighborhood...all without us realizing it! I noticed her one day, asked the neighbors if she belonged to anyone they knew. All answered no! A short time later, "Samantha" was living with us and delivered 5 kittens. Kristofer David was one of them. We were finally connected with Samantha's owner, but he didn't want her since she had had kittens. We kept her, had her spayed, and she lived with my grandfather for many years.  Kristofer was never very playful, even as a kitten. Mostly he was into rolling over and over and watching the birds through the windows. He would sleep on the bed with me, mostly keeping to himself. However, when he wanted out of the bedroom in the morning I had better get up and let him out. One morning after I continued to ignore his "polite requests" he jumped up on my chest, stared me in the face, and let out with a howl like I'd never heard before. After that, I responded in a timely manner. I didn't want to push my sweet boy to that extreme ever again!

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Related Link

• My Feline Friends (Flickr Photo Set)

Gypsy Mellodee and Her Foals

I was fifteen years old when Gypsy Mellodee ("Gypsy") AHR #106548 (view pedigree) was foaled (2:35 a.m.) and it was on a school night! My best friend, Lauren, and I had stayed up all night to assist with the foaling then were "forced" to go to school anyway - how unfair! Gypsy was our third of three fillies foaled that year. The other two pestered us all through the night while we waited for Gypsy's arrival. Her dam, Bonita Velvet (Syzygy x Asil Vanity), was bred by Alice Payne. Her sire, Sahara Prince, (The Real McCoy x Sahara Queen), was a multi-champion stallion bred by Frank McCoy.

Right before her first birthday Gypsy scratched the cornea of her right eye. The cornea ulcerated and we were very worried that she might lose her eye. The veterinarian prescribed a treatment (keep her out of the sun & medicate the eye around the clock) and it worked! Her vision was poor and her lens remained cloudy, but her eye never required further treatment. One thing did happen though. Gypsy started snorting. At everything! A dark spot on the ground, a piece of paper, a halter on a fence, but the one thing that caused a continual chorus of snorts was soap suds. She was bathed very frequently (to keep her white) and she ALWAYS snorted at the soap suds.

She was highly sensitive and aware of EVERYTHING. She was alert to things well before any of the other horses. Even with her "sensitive" nature she did well in halter training and later ground work, i.e. longeing and ground driving. She was just over three years of age the first time I rode her. I'd been ground driving her when I decided to give it a go. I snapped the side reins together and got on her while she was wearing only the surcingle. She walked off with perfect balance and a confident stride!

Susan Pereira leased Gypsy to breed to her stallion, Justin++, in 1978. My grandmother and I were very excited about the upcoming foals from this cross. Justin++ was very tall (15.3hh) with a gorgeous long neck, a well laid back shoulder, and extremely long legs. Gypsy was extraordinarily typey and elegant, but lacked those qualities we so admired in Justin++. The first foal, a colt, was aborted at 10 months. Instead of breeding her back to Justin++ the Pereiras decided on Rho-Keem++ (Khemosabi++++ x Rhodanna). The result was the filly, Sweet Gypsy Rhose. For our foal, Gypsy was bred back to Justin++. My grandmother died before our foal was born and my grandfather requested that I sell the horses for him. Gypsy was sold to the woman who had once owned Sahara Prince. Patti Drennan sent Gypsy to Texas, where Lacy-J AHR# 243719 was foaled on May 12, 1981. She was chestnut, tall, and leggy like Justin++, but received the "pretty" we hoped for from Gypsy. Lacy-J was shown to many championships, including: 1991 U.S. National Champion Western Pleasure 13 and under, and U.S. Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Owner 13 & Under in 1990. (View show record.) Lacy-J produced two registered purebred foals: Bannacek AHR# 350881 foaled in 1986 by *El Kasaka and Leather and Lace AHR# 400665 foaled in 1988 by GG Bask Starr.

Bannacek was 1994 U.S. Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure Adult Amateur Owner 40 & Over, 1991 U.S. Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure Amateur Owner, and 1989 U.S. Top Ten Arabian Western Pleasure Jr. Horse.

Gypsy had a grey colt in 1981 by *Posatiw, but he was never registered. He was known as Carnaby Street. I was told that he was gelded, and working cattle on a ranch in Texas. I wrote the young woman who had him, but don't remember ever receiving a reply.

My sister, Margaret, and I bought Gypsy from Patti in 1982. I had not seen her in over two years, and she hadn't been ridden since I last rode her in 1978. She arrived on a rainy day in September with large scratches on her legs and looking quite gaunt. In the space of a month she was looking beautiful and was ready to ride.

I had my fill of ring riding when I was younger, and dreamed of trail riding. Gypsy and my first "major" ride was a 5-day trek to the Cuyamaca Mountains. She may have been a 14.1hh snort-all-the-time, never-get-tired, prissy-looking-girly-girl, but we still enjoyed ourselves on the trail. She neither looked nor acted like the other "trail" horses. She was ALWAYS groomed like a show horse and she was ALWAYS raring to go. She paced in her corral, "jigged" on the trail, pawed the ground when we stopped, and snorted at all things unfamiliar. But what a blast we had, once we made it to the higher elevations where she calmed down and learned to pace herself.

I very much wanted a foal out of Gypsy and after making arrangements with some dear friends I took Gypsy to Santa Ynez to be bred to their very handsome stallion, Abraxas Shah Maar in 1989. "Hugh" was by Ansata Shah Zaman and out of Little Bay. He was tall (15.3hh), athletic, and extremely handsome. After 3 months Gypsy was checked in foal and after her 45 day exam I brought her home. Unfortunately, when she was checked again at 80 days the foal had been absorbed. We were all terribly disappointed by the news, but I couldn't bear to send her away to be re-bred.

In April 1990 I purchased a suckling Khemosabi++++ colt. In preparation for his (Khodachrome) arrival another large paddock was built. I decided to put Gypsy there (because she was so active), and to stable Khody next to Margaret's gelding, MHR Port Typhoon. The day we brought Khody home Gypsy was frantic in her new paddock. I moved her back to her old corral and put Khody in the new one. Gypsy eventually calmed down and everything seemed fine. On July 4th we had a barbecue at our place and as I watched one of my friends riding Gypsy I noticed her limping. She'd never had a lame day in her life. I had the vet out the next day and his diagnosis was that she "may" have an abscess. After several days of treatments with no improvement, he did an x-ray, which showed that her coffin bone had rotated downward...she had foundered! I was totally devastated. We took action with medications, special shoes, constant soaking, bandaging, and a lower protein diet but she continued to get worse. In September her right hoof showed signs of founder. The evening of September 24 I sat in Gypsy's corral with her head in my lap. The next morning, when the vet was already scheduled to visit, Gypsy would not get up. That was it. No more could be done other than attempting radical and very painful surgery. She'd already been through so much. I just couldn't do that to her.

The biggest part of my horse-loving soul died that day with Gypsy. I still had Khody but no other horse could be to me what Gypsy had been. She was buried in the pasture where she had enjoyed her freedom for nearly 4 years. The next year Margaret's beautiful gelding, Port, died and was laid to rest near Gypsy. They had always attracted attention when they were turned out together. What a show they put on and what a striking contrast they were to each other. To lose them both when they were only 16 years of age still tears me up. When I close my eyes I can still visualize them loose together; tails flagged, necks arched, and nostrils flared. They were SO beautiful together and in my memories will always remain so. 

Related Link

• Gypsy Mellodee and Her Foals (Flickr Photo Album)
  

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Flamoniatar and Her Foals

My grandmother, Rose Kennedy, purchased Flamoniatar ("Flame") AHR# 65765 (view pedigree) as a three year old, indirectly from an Arabian horse sale in Utah on June 26, 1973. She was bred by Manuel V. Bauska of Kalispell, Montana, and foaled May 1, 1970. She was sired by Ikoniatar AHR# 28602 and out of Flamingo AHR# 9482. She was a lovely red chestnut with a blaze, snip; partial coronet, partial fetlock and a stocking. She was 15hh and averaged about 1,000 pounds. She had a wide chest, deep girth, short back, long hip, extreme tail carriage, and very sound legs.

We gave Flame time to settle in before starting basic groundwork. After a few months she and I started riding lessons with Nicki McGinnis. I had previously ridden bareback or Western and wanted to try Saddle Seat. Although Flame "looked" Western she moved quite beautifully and was best suited to English. She was smart and quick but had a hot streak, which triggered my temper on a number of occasions. After some months training with Nicki we relocated and found another trainer, Claudia Thompson, who we began basic dressage training with. In November 1975 Flame and I had our first schooling show in Simi Valley.

Flame did really well overall. She placed 1st in Arabian Halter (out of 15 including two Class A multi-champion stallions and a Jr. Champion Filly), 3rd in Open English Pleasure (out of about 18) and took me to a 1st in English Equitation. The thing that bothered her the most that day was the loud clicking noise the microphone made before the announcer spoke. Other than that she was GREAT!

In 1974 Flame was bred to Farlowa AHR# 8545 (Abu Farwa x Farlouma), who was the senior stallion at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center in Pomona. "Louie" was 21 years of age but still a wonderful stallion and well known for siring outstanding broodmares. Flame had two crosses to Abu Farwa and people thought that breeding her to an Abu Farwa son was asking for trouble. However, we had faith that the resulting foal would be fine in the markings department and not have white where the general population thought it inappropriate for a purebred Arabian.

On March 21, 1975 Flame produced a bay filly with a small star, snip and two socks. We named her Faria Loa and nicknamed her Cricket for her routine of play seemed to follow that of a cricket's. Flame hadn't a clue what to do with her foal, but after a week or so warmed up to being a mother.

We took Flame to a couple of Class A Arabian shows, but she was extremely nervous. She placed 4th in halter at one show and 5th at the other. She received some positive comments (a strong, balanced trot and remarkable ground covering walk) from one of the judges who had put her reserve in the English Pleasure Mares class. I felt pretty good with how she performed after she relaxed a bit.

In August 1977 my grandmother leased Flame to Paul and Patti (Drennan) Husband. They bred her to Khemosabi and the resulting foal was Khemos Advocate ("Sport"), a lovely bay colt foaled in February 1979. My grandmother passed away in November 1978. She never got to see Sport or Khelauea, the Khemo colt out of Flame's daughter, Faria Loa. During the time they had her Paul and Patti showed Flame at a Class A Arabian show at L.A. Fairgrounds in English and Western Pleasure. She was also ridden in a parade and an Endurance Ride.

Flame was bred to Rho-Keem++, a multi-champion son of Khemosabi++++ for a 1980 foal. She came home for a brief time before I accepted a position at Pereira Arabians in Santa Ynez. My grandfather gave me the choice of 2 mares to keep. I chose Flame and Cricket. I took them to Santa Ynez where they were kept together in a large paddock by themselves. In October 1979 two women from Hawaii visited the farm to see the horses. One of the women, Susan Moody, fell in love with Flame and we later negotiated the sale. Prior to that time I hadn't considered selling Flame. Susan opted to keep Flame with me until she foaled. Rhose AHR# 223536 was foaled January 29, 1980. Flame was then bred to Justin++ but did not conceive before she and Rhose were shipped to Hawaii.

The original plan was to send Flame and Rhose by air with Flying Tigers, but when the costs kept rising Susan opted to bring them over by ship. I got all the necessary veterinary work and certificates done and on March 11, 1980, they departed Pereira Arabians with West Coast Horse Transport. The trip to Hawaii took about a week and they were quarantined for 2 weeks before Susan was able to take them home to Naalehu on the Big Island.

Flame had the three foals above in California, and these three in Hawaii: Sunset Mist AHR# 241748 (by Silver Sunfire) foaled May 18, 1981; Nazstaja AHR# 281151 (by Nazional) foaled August 8, 1983; and Kims Tiana AHR# 382662 foaled March 19, 1985.

Susan and I wrote back and forth for several years. I kept her up on what Khemosabi, Rho-Keem, and Justin were doing and she kept me up with Flame, Rhose, and their progeny. The last time I heard from Susan was in 1990 when she called to ask if I wanted to buy Flame back from her. Susan had taken Flame to Northern California with her, but when she was returning to Hawaii thought that Flame should not make the trip because of her advanced age (20 years.) At the time I had my mare, Gypsy Mellodee, and my Khemosabi gelding, Khodachrome, so I had to decline the offer. If it were at all possible I would have gladly brought Flame home to live out her life with me and her old friend, Gypsy. I have not been able to find out what happened to Flame, Rhose, or Susan, but still hold out hope that someone who knew them will contact me. 

Related Link

• Flamoniatar and Her Foals (Flickr Photo Album)
  

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Faria Loa and Her Foals

Some horses have such a strong spirit and are so confident. Faria Loa "Cricket" (see pedigree) was one of those horses. She was foaled March 21, 1975. Her sire was the beautiful Abu Farwa son, Farlowa, and her dam was our double Abu Farwa bred mare, Flamoniatar. Other than having much less "chrome" (white markings) than we expected, Cricket was everything we had hoped for from this cross.

After the initial warm-up period that Flame seemed to require, being a first time mother and all, the first few months of Cricket's life went very smoothly. However, on the afternoon of October 2 Cricket suffered a compound commuted fracture of her left foreleg (cannon.) I had seen her just moments before it occurred and could hardly believe the person who raced to tell me that something was drastically wrong with her. Our local veterinarian arrived within an hour but Cricket was already going into shock. After stabilizing her and wrapping and splinting her leg several of us picked her up and laid her in the back of our two-horse trailer where I rode with her to keep her quiet and prone. She was taken to Chino Valley Equine Hospital where Dr. Robert Baker set the fractured leg with a steel plate and screws. In the wee hours of October 3 we watched as Cricket came to after surgery in the rubber-covered recovery stall. She remained at the hospital for about a week and upon her return home she had to be stalled away from all of her pasture mates.

The best way for Cricket to be exercised was to be hand walked. The tall cast did not stop her from feeling her age (7 months.) She would grunt, toss her head, and rear while I was walking her. We were so thrilled to have her showing such enthusiasm, we let her perform all the shenanigans she could muster. She continued to thrive and seemed to enjoy all of the special attention, grooming and walks. However, on October 29, the day before she was to return for her first check-up, she managed to roll over and get herself stuck against the wall in her stall. Even though I was there within minutes she managed to fracture her radius immediately above the cast. We hauled her back to the veterinary hospital where Dr. Baker implanted a battery and wires running to the fracture (to stimulate bone repair) and had a welder make a metal arc to keep her left foreleg completely off the ground. Cricket had been on a restricted protein diet of oat hay following the first surgery and this continued as she recuperated from the second fracture. She remained at the hospital for several months, and was finally able to come home in March 1976. Fortunately, we had been able to visit her many times at the hospital, as it was less than 2 hours from home.

Because she had to support all her front-end weight on her right foreleg, her right knee calcified under the stress. It became quite large (about grapefruit size) and through the years that leg was the weaker of the two and would be the cause of great concern.

In April 1978 we took Cricket to Santa Ynez to be bred to Khemosabi. Normally we would not have bred a three year old, but considered her age a positive in relation to her traumatized front legs. She settled right away and we brought her home in June. During this time my grandmother, Rose Kennedy, became quite ill. She passed away in November before Cricket foaled Grandmother's first 2nd generation foal.

Khelauea (pronounced key-luh-WAY-uh) AHR# 185777 was foaled April 30, 1979 in our backyard. Pereira Arabians acquired him as a suckling, and I returned Cricket to Santa Ynez to be rebred to Khemo. Khelauea was very personable and sought attention from me, which caused some conflict with his dam, as she was used to being the center of attention. She may have been "spoiled" but she turned out to be a patient and playful mother.

The Pereira's sold Khelauea in 1980 at The Pereira/Haifa Sale. His buyer was Chuck Ruhr in Minnesota. From there he was sold to Carol Donagin and Brenda Grant, then to Wayne Grooters, then to Crawford Enterprise, then Stonehenge Arabians, and finally to Mardale Burg in Sullivan, Wisconsin. He had been shown to Class A Championships in halter, western pleasure and native costume. After Mardale purchased him, he was shown to additional championships in Country English Pleasure. He sired 24 registered purebred foals, the last in 1991. One of those was Khelly, a multiple halter and performance champion. His last recorded owners were, Allen and Carol Perkins in Wisconsin, who had him competing in dressage. Although he had many owners he started his life loved by me.

Khueen (named for the rock band) AHR# 205227 was foaled June 11, 1980 and was to be my "keeper." She was lovely, sweet, and had excellent breeding. Her newborn exam showed her to be healthy. She received the recommended vaccinations and de-wormings. Her blood work and fecals had always been normal. When her healthy appearance changed so radically (rough coat and bloated belly) after weaning I was perplexed. In December she colicked the first time. I pleaded with my vet to find out what was causing Khueen's problems. The next month she had a high grade bacterial infection and then had to deal with the resulting anemia. With aggressive treatment her physical appearance started to improve, but she continued to have bouts of gastritis/colic. In May 1981 I took her to U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine where a battery of tests were run. The fecal sample done there was the first to show positive for parasites (strongyles). The vet recommended deworming Khueen with thiabendazole at 10 times the normal dose for two days. If no improvement was noticed in 6 weeks I was to repeat that treatment. On July 8, 1981 she colicked again, but this time she was not responding to treatment. After many hours and several visits from the vet, Khueen was euthanized at 11:00 p.m. I still cannot understand why this happened to my baby. She was only 13 months old! She is buried on the farm where I worked under a giant oak tree. After all of these years I only have a folder full of paper and a fading memory of her short life.

It was a difficult decision, but ultimately I decided to let Cricket remain in Texas to be sold. If my situation had been different, I would have brought Cricket home after Khueen's death. Bob and Cheryl McCally purchased Cricket in July 1981, and she foaled Khemo Klassic AHR# 230488 on July 16. He was a flashy black bay with a connected star, strip, snip, and four stockings.

In September 1981 I visited Lasma West in Santa Ynez where Cricket was being bred back to Khemo++++. I went there specifically to see her. When I called out to her, she raised her head and whinnied at me! I got so choked up I broke down in tears. After entering her paddock she followed me everywhere and gently nudged me for attention (just like the old days.) To say that she made it difficult for me to pet her colt is an understatement. She wanted me all to herself. I spent quite awhile with them, and it was really tough to say my final good-byes. That was the last time I saw Cricket.

Cheryl showed Khemo Klassic to wins in halter before selling him to Dr. M. A. Aboussie, Jr., and in 1986 he was sold to Marylyn and Gene Asher in Ohio.

Cricket's fourth foal, MC Foxy Lady AHR# 257370, was foaled August 20, 1982. Bob and Cheryl McCally owned her for several years before selling her to Larry & Penny Nace. She was shown and placed in halter and Western Pleasure Amateur Owner classes and had three registered purebred foals. Tragically, she died at 9 years of age on July 17, 1993.

Cricket was then bred to the McCally's stallion, Sir Gazon, an inbred Gazon son. On February 23, 1984 she foaled a bay colt, Sirtainly, who was later gelded.

In 1984 Bob and Cheryl sold Cricket to John & Kim McGrath in Oklahoma. Kim and I wrote back and forth for several years and even spoke on the phone a couple of times. They bred Cricket to the Spanish stallion, *Nilo, and the result was a chestnut colt, Abu Shariik AHR# 361486, foaled April 25, 1985. The next year she produced a bay mare, El Tayara, AHR# 358256, by a stallion named EE Aeri. Cricket's last registered purebred foal was a bay mare by her own son, Abu Shariik, named Farliita who was foaled March 30, 1990.

Throughout her life Cricket's right front hoof required vigilant attention. Her right leg bowed out below the knee and that caused the outside of her hoof to wear down. Kim told me that she had that hoof shod to help prevent such wear, but after being kicked and suffering tendon damage, Cricket's quality of life started to suffer. I can't remember the details, but Kim informed me that she had Cricket euthanized because she could no longer support herself. I believe this was in 1991. Many years have passed but I have very vivid memories of the way she looked, moved, and sounded. At the time I could not think of a way to keep Cricket, but I will probably always wonder how different things would have been had we stayed together. 

Related Link

• Faria Loa and Her Foals (Flickr Photo Album)
  

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