CHCH News-Bronco-Dongha

He came with the house. The first time we saw the house, Princess and I went into the back yard to check out the greenhouse and the pool. He calmly walked up to her and she scratched his head. Princess is a
little gal, and he weighed about 70 pounds at the time. It was love at first sight. He stood beside her and leaned on her, nearly knocking her down.

When we closed, the owners told us they were moving to New York, and he couldn't go. They would be upstate, he was an outside dog, and they didn't think he would survive the winter up there. So they were going to destroy him. Their children ignored him, he was outside all the time, and he was fed dry dog food twice a day. To much to bother with.

So we took him. It became a standard joke, we bought a $76,000.00 dog, and they threw a house in free. His name was Bronco, and he grabbed a piece of our hearts right away. We changed his diet, got him all his shots, and found out that he was dying of heartworm. Medication and care solved that problem.

Half collie, half chow, he had a collie nose, a chow tongue, and an abundance of mostly brown fur, in two layers. He had a doghouse we got him to sleep in, but he was a con artist from day one. He'd stand out in the rain, ignoring the doghouse, and he would look soaked and bedraggled. But if you put your hand deep in his fur, you could feel the inner layer was dry. But we'd still bring him in, dry him off, and let him stay with us until the rain was gone.

He hated to get a bath. I'd have to leash him to get him to the tub. I'd put on swim trunks, coax him into the tub, and wash him carefully. Once the process started, he'd be calm about it. He always looked so sharp when he was dried. And he'd head to the back door, anxious to get outside and roll in the grass.

Bronco and the field mouse

We had a woodpile along the back wall of the house. A field mouse took up lodging in the pile. It never tried to get into the house, content to live there and forage for seed amongst the grass in the yard. But his presence infuriated Bronco. He would bark at the woodpile, chase the mouse, attempt to climb the logs, anything to get to it.

This went on for weeks. Then it happened. The mouse made a mistake, and Bronco got between him and the haven of the wood. I heard the frenzied barking, and went outside. The mouse, all of about 2 or 3 ounces, was standing on its hind legs, terrified to the point of being immovable. Bronco stood there, 75 pounds of fur and fury, his nose inches away from the mouse, barking furiously. Then, he stopped, looked at me as if to say "I showed him who was boss!" and walked away. The unbelieving mouse remained still for about 5 minutes, then unfroze and dived for the woodpile. After that, they pretty much ignored each other.

Bronco and the lawn chair

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit from New Jersey. The day after they arrived, after some sightseeing in downtown Dallas, we came home to relax. My brother-in-law Bob and my sister Rose headed for the back yard with Princess. I grabbed a couple beers for Bob and I, and went out to join them. Bob was just about to sit in one of the lawn chairs, when I stopped him, and told him "Bob, use another lawn chair, that one belongs to Bronco." He looked curiously at me, but moved. I guess he thought Bronco liked to get up on that particular chair and lie down. He was partially right. A few minutes later, I went in for 2 more beers. As I came out, I saw Bob with a shocked expression on his face. Bronco had jumped on the lawn chair, put his forelegs over the back, and was engaged in attempting sexual intercourse with the chair. Only the one chair, he left the others alone. We never did figure out why he wanted to mate with it so badly. And Bob never got over the experience.

Bronco and the car thieves

I had a Datsun 280Z next to the house. It was Mike's car, but when he died, I kept it. The engine went out on it one day, and I got another car, but I kept the "Z", planning on one day rebuilding the engine. One
night, after 9 P. M. , I heard Bronco's "danger" bark. I went out the front door and around the side of the house to find two guys looking at the cars.

Conversation as follows:
Me: "Can I help you?"
Them: "Just looking at the car, might want to buy it."
Me: "There's no "For Sale" sign on the car."
Them: "Who the hell are you?"
Me: "The owner of the house and the car."
Them: "You have a problem with us looking at it?"
Me: "No. I just think you need to check with me first."

One of them took a step towards me, and I brought my right hand out from behind my leg, so they could both see the .45 I was holding. Bronco growled, low and soft. They left, and I never saw them again.

Bronco would bark at any stranger, which is why it never bothered me to work at night. Don't tell me about ADT or Brinks, an alert dog and a wife with a shotgun will scare off anybody!

Bronco and the squirrels

We have numerous trees in the back yard. With the trees, came the squirrels. Bronco would lie on the patio and watch the squirrels run around in the back yard, and never move an inch. But as soon as one went into the trees, he went crazy. He would dance around under the tree, barking up a storm. He would run from place to place, looking up at the squirrels, barking like mad. But he never chased them on the ground. I guess he didn't know what he would do with one if he caught it. So he contented himself with raising hell only if they were safely where he wouldn't have to worry about catching them. The big tree closest to the house was their favorite, and his.

Last night, he went out to the tree, lay down on the grass beside it, and died. He was about 16 years old. As I write this, I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes (again). The folks from the Dallas Pet Crematorium came for him, but his collar and a lock of his hair remains with me. In a couple days, they'll deliver his ashes to me, in a fiberglass container. I'll bury him beneath the tree he loved, so his spirit can continue to chase squirrels throughout eternity.

Bronco.

1988-2004

Goodbye, beloved friend.

NOTE: Copyright 05/25/04 by Dave Hoffman

Use granted to all who identify author.

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