It was Saturday morning during the summer and I had just finished putting the rubber bands around all of the newspapers I had to deliver on my paper-route. I shoved the newspapers into my big canvas pouch that read “Columbus Dispatch” in big neon orange colors and headed out the door. My dogs, Lady and Muttly stood right by the door dancing and prancing around. They loved accompanying me on my paper-route and couldn’t wait to get out the door.
This was our daily routine. And they both knew when I was wrapping up my papers that we would soon be headed on our long walk to deliver our papers.
Lady was always the first one to dash out the door and Muttly was always right behind her. You had to be really careful when you opened the door with Lady around, because if you didn’t she would run you right over. She was pretty big and very strong. Lady was a Doberman Pinscher mixed with what some call “working Dobe” working Dobes were a little thicker and more muscular than your typical Doberman Pinscher. Muttly was an old stray my aunt Judy had rescued from the streets.
My aunt had taken Muttly in and found out he was somewhat of a trouble starter. Julie already had two small dogs, one Yorkshire terrier named Alphie and a small, black miniature poodle name Sara after me. Muttly looked like he had some pit-bull in him and a couple of other things. He was black with two grayish white paws and a white chest. His right ear and his tongue were chipped, he had cataracts and he walked a little sideways – he also suffered from epileptic seizures.
Julie couldn’t keep him because of the conflict with her dogs and feared she might have to turn him over to the humane society. She called my mother and told her about Muttly and my mother decided to take him in. Muttly did not get along with other male dogs and although he was falling apart and old he was still very feisty, mean and horny.