A Well, A dog and a baby

This is a story told me by my mother I was too young to remember it. I will give a little background.
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I was born on a farm located in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. We had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. Heat was provided by fireplaces, Franklin stoves or the kitchen stove all wood burning. There was plenty of coal in them thar hills but it belonged to the mining companies.

The house had started out as a one room log cabin to which a couple of rooms had been added. My memories of the place are vague and that mainly from a couple of visits to it. This incident took place while I was still a crawler not yet walking.

We had a dog, a male German Shepard named Bert. According to my mother he had decided that I was his pup and he was responsible for me. Located near the house was an old well no longer used and covered over by boards which had begun to rot . I gather there was no wall just ahole in the ground were the well had been. It also seems that I was a child who liked to explore and that I could crawl pretty fast.

My mother, Bert and I were outside my mother doing chores, chickens, gardening maybe even chopping wood who know what farm always need tending. While she was busy I took off to explore the surrounding countryside. See what the caterpillars were doing, scare a grass snake or just see how far I could get before I was caught.

I saw those boards over the well and they intrigued me, ivited me to see what lay beneath. Mummy did have one eye on me and when she saw the direction I was headed yelled and started afterme. Bert jumped in front of her growling and threatening to tear her apart if she hamed one hair of his precious pup. Oh how her heart did leap she couldn't get around him so she backed off thinking what to do. After all I was her pup too and she was rather attached to me.
Lo and beholdwhat did Bert do but ran me down and grabbed me by the nappies. They were cloth not those Pamper things of more modern times. He pulled to safety and kept me away from that very dangerous hole. He knew it was bad business and made certain I didn't get near it. That was one smart and caring dog.

Mum called him my nursemaid because he always looked after me plus it also meant I never got a spanking. Remember the dog in Peter Pan? Dogs caring for small children isn't fiction they really do.

When I was little I used to play in front of my grandfather's house with toy cars and the dog (a German shepherd too) used to sit nearby and keep watch on me. He wouldn't leave until I would go back inside the house of until a grown up took over. Dogs are great.

Yes they are. I love animals and would have gotten a dog if I didn't go up to New York from time to time and have no one to take care of one when I am gone. Dogs like me my scent or something I think.

Dogs like people who like them. It's bad masters who make bad dogs.

Cats are attracted to people who ignore them that is why they head directly to those people who dislike them or are afaid of them. Not my opinion but an official one. I have a neighbor who dislikes cats and Cameron heads right to him when they are both outside. It is I understand because they are not threatened by the person. On the other hand I had a relative who hated cats and expressed it vehemently. Scared the poor things into fits.

I like dogs more than cats but I get along with both. I'd love to have a pet but usually -when I'm not sick!- I rarely stay in the same place too long so it doesn't help. I hope one day I will settle down preferably away from the city and then with any luck I will have a cat and a dog.