Trigger-Boy

In the first 16 years of our marriage, we had one dog, an older cocker spaniel that was given to us. We only had her a few years before she became sick and we had to put her down. As sad as it was, it was kind of a relief. We were not "dog" people. I had enough responsibility with taking care of 4 kids to worry about taking care of a dog. Don't get me wrong- I love dogs, especially puppies. But, I was waiting until my kids were grown to get another dog.

Fast forward to 2004. Paul and the boys had gone hunting and run into another hunter who had a pack of hunting dogs. These dogs were mountain currs, a breed we had never heard of. Paul was so impressed with these dogs and declared that he would love to have a mountain curr. We never thought that would happen. Pure breds are usually expensive and besides that fact, we had never seen another mountain curr.

Several months later, Paul got a call from a man in the church, Dale. Dale wanted to know if we were interested in taking in a dog that needed a home. Dale had known this dog for a few years and in fact, nursed this dog back to health. Dale loved this dog and would have taken him himself if he didn't already have a few dogs himself. Oh, and this dog was a mountain curr. Well, Paul couldn't pass this opportunity up, so he said yes, we'd take the dog. A few days later, Dale called and said that he was sorry, but someone had already taken this dog. Oh well.

A couple of weeks later, Dale called and said the dog was available again- do we still want him? So a few days later, Trigger came to our house for the first time. I'll never forget it. Trigger was afraid of everyone and everything. He slunk around the house, almost it seemed afraid to look anyone in the eye. He was abused as a young dog and it left him with some "issues". It took him quite a while to get used to us.

Not long after we got Trigger, we went out of town for a wedding. Paul's parents watched Trigger for us, and he got loose from them. He was gone for more than a week. We thought he was gone for good, but Dale found him and brought him back. That was the first time Trigger got loose, but certainly not that last. Trigger loved to get out and run and chase small animals. Once he escaped, it was almost impossible to catch him because he was so fast. He also was an escape artist, finding a way out of the backyard every so often. He would often wait by the front door for Sam, who would open the door and let Trigger out. It was not unusual for him to get loose several times a week, no matter how hard we tried to keep him restrained.

Last Saturday night, Trigger was let out in the backyard. He escaped. When he got out at night, he usually came back a few hours later, scratching at the door. If he didn't come back that night, he normally would be on the porch in the morning, so we weren't worried about him. Sunday morning came, however, and no Trigger. When we left for church, we still weren't worried about him. He always came home.

We got home from church and still no Trigger. Paul Jr. and I talked about him on the way home and how we hoped he would be there. I mentioned that I was concerned for him, but the thought of him getting hit by a car never entered my mind. I was concerned he was harrassing our neighbors, which he had done before. When we realized he wasn't home, Paul Jr. went out looking for him. No luck. We still weren't overly concerned.

About an hour later, our neighbor came to the door. She asked me if I knew where Trigger was. I immediately thought he was causing trouble for them. This was the neighbor where he had gotten stuck under their deck last summer and the only way to get him out was to rip up the deck.

"No" I answered. She got a worried look on her face. "I just came in the back gate and there's a dog laying on the side of the road that looks like Trigger" she said. I still wasn't understanding what she was trying to tell me. For an instance I thought she meant Trigger was by the back gate and we better get him. "How long has he been gone?" she asked. "We haven't seen him since last night" I said. She looked down as she replied, "It's probably him."

Paul Jr had heard the whole conversation and as I came back in he was already grabbing the keys to go see if it was him. I really didn't think it was him. I mean, he had been running off like this for almost 5 years and he came back everytime. Didn't he?? Paul was gone a while. A lot longer than it takes to get to the back gate and back to our house. We all were nervous. The phone rang. I answered it.

"It's him." My heart sank. I tried to keep the tears from coming just yet. Paul Jr had wisely taken him up to the church to get a large garbage bag to put him in so no one would have to see him. I went outside and told Anna and Zack it was him. Anna and I immediately started crying. I felt sick to my stomach. A few minutes later, Paul Jr. got home and he and Zack dug a hole back in the woods and buried Trigger.

It's now a week later and it's sinking in. But I still look around and expect him to be laying on the floor. We drive in and expect him to be laying in the sun in the front yard. But, of course, he's not.

He was a good dog. Bella missed him for the first few days, looking and sniffing around the house for him. Trigger was a unique dog and I doubt there will ever be another like him. We buried him in his beloved woods, where he loved to spend his days following a trail. We will miss him.