Top 10 Tales of Amos' Wanderings

After my recent appearance on To the River and Back Again, the question, "Why do you wander so far from home?" was posed. There are actually many very good reasons why I choose to venture out into the wide and wonderful world, but here are the ten best ones. Dogs just want to have fun.

Photos by Y.L. Bordelon, All Rights Reserved

Be sure to click on Amos' theme song so you can get in the mood while you read his story.

I love to be with humans, unfortunately, the humans that I live with are very busy people. My Dad plays with me whenever he can and sometimes takes me to work with him, but when he doesn't, I like to visit with other humans who live on or near the river. They stay home a lot and the big one lets Rio and Chance out to play with me. Sometimes he'll even bring me home. He's a nice man. The woman talks to me and pets me.

Don't Want No Stinkin' Operation

They think I don't understand what they are saying, but I heard them talking about getting me fixed by the Vet so that I wouldn't run away so much. I'm not sure what that means, but I don't want to go back to the Vet. He locked me up for a week when my humans left me there. I hate that place.

I'm a lucky dog. Dad changed his mind about the getting fixed thing. In fact, I heard him talking and he said that he got the little female Catahoula so that we could have puppies.

The Catahoula is the Louisiana state dog. This book will tell you more about my kind. Hey, that's a handsome fellow on the cover.

Now you see me, now you don't. Why should I hang around all day when there are scents to smell and trails to follow? I like to go see my buddies Rio and Chance and there is a lot of fun to be had on the 3 mile woodsy trek between my house and theirs.

It's MY Way. Did you know that turtles hide in their shells. I bark at them to come out and play, but they won't. There are these little creatures that make tunnels in the ground, too. I follow them all over the yard and dig and bark, but they are hard to catch. Dad doesn't like all the holes I make, but I'm just trying to keep the yard safe.

Hmmm, this guy may have something, but sh-h-h don't tell my dad about the Dog Whisperer.

I have rounds to make and comfy places to sleep. Want to go see the people who live with Rio and Chance. Every morning I run over to their house so that I can go on their walk to the river. Of course, I've already had at least one swim and a 3 mile romp before I get there. They are fun because they pet me and talk to me. So I sleep under their little carport or van. If it's wet, I curl up in the seat of their riding lawnmower under the little carport.

When my Dad comes to get me, sometimes he's mad and fusses at me. I don't know why. I've always run in the woods, but he said something about hunting season.

Playing is one of the most important parts of the day. If the humans won't cooperate, I untie their shoe laces or pull on their pants legs. Sometimes old Rio will play wrestle and chase with me, but I have more energy. That little fluffy Chance dog barks at me a lot and gets mad when I bump him in play. He's a little wimp! But that foxy black lab, Sadie, boy does she know how to play! I see her there, and over there and then back here! Bow-wow, what a dog!

I must protect the humans that I like. I don't know why, but It's something that I am compelled to do. One day when I was over at Rio and Chance's house and I was in one of my favorite sleeping spots in the cool dirt, under the little carport, I saw a snake crossing the driveway. I ran up and started barking to alert everyone to the danger. The woman heard me and came out just in time to see me do my lunge and jump move. She yelled to the man that it was a moccasin and pulled me away from it, but I wanted to save her from it. The only way she would go was if I went, too, so I let her lead me away from it and it sneaked off into the bushes.

Just suck it up and run on through. I won't be confined. Don't fence me in. Here it comes, the shock, Ouch!!!, but it's over in seconds and if you keep on going then You're Free!

When the hogs get out of the pen at home, I help get them back in. They are really big hogs and they don't want to go back in the pen so they bump me with their snouts and their tusks when I try to round them up. Doesn't bother me, though and I keep nipping, nudging and barking at them until they go back where they are supposed to be.

After I help out at home, I need a reward so I take a good run in the woods

My human got rid of the hogs after they got into the garden and rooted it up. Now I have more time to run through the woods.

The weather is really hot here in the summer and the fleas are terrible. Boy, they sure do itch. I have to go jump in the water and run to Rio and Chance's house. They are not so bad over there. I heard the nice lady there talking about flea control nematodes that she sprayed around the yard in a garden hose sprayer. I wonder if that's why?

She fusses about them getting in her car when she brings me home. I wonder if my Dad could get some of that flea nematode stuff.

My new "little sister" doesn't know how to play and her legs are too short. I tried to take her on an adventure, but she wimped out on me not far from the house. They keep trying to get me to be friends with her, but she's such a baby!

It's been awhile since I checked in here. A lot has happened. I found out that my little "sister" was not as bad as I thought. She's grown a lot and has turned into quite a looker. In fact, in a few weeks, she will be having my pups. I've been staying around the house a little more so that I can protect my little wife.

It's several months and 2 litters of puppies, with my little Catahoula honey, later. But while she was busy with the pups, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, so I visited one of the friendly neighborhood females. Her human man was proud of the puppies, but his wife wasn't and they complained to my Dad, so.... he was forced to take me to the Vet for that operation that we talked about earlier. No more fathering puppies for me.

An old favorite for your listening enjoyment.

Check out these Gr-r-reat photos by tiger45 and naturegirl7.

The little wimpy Cocker Spaniel dog is 2nd Chance. He is kinda cute though.

My bud, Rio and that foxy girl, Sadie and her brother like to play football with the man.