Run, Tekka, Run

I hated dogs when I was growing up. Dog owners in my Santol neighborhood let their dogs run loose, and most of them had not had rabies vaccine. A vicious dog attacked me when I was about seven years old. I had to suffer through rabies shots in my back daily for 20 days. It was a painful experience and I was miserable.

Throughout my life I avoided dogs. When I married Louise and raised a family our three children were not allowed to have a dog for a pet. They had goldfish and chameleons.

Then I met Tekka, a beagle-hound mix that my daughter Tina and her husband Dave had adopted from an animal rescue center in the Bay Area. I see Tekka at least once a week when we have our family get-together. She is so much fun, always playful and full of energy. There is no meanness in her. Tekka changed my attitude towards dogs. Now I understand the expression, a dog is a man’s best friend.