My Dad loves animals and animals love him. His gentle ways tamed the craziest of our pets. I can see, in my mind's eye, the parade of dogs, cats and birds that shared our home through the years.
His last dog was Brutus. My second to the oldest brother brought Brutus home after winning him by playing a ten cent Carnival game. He was a funny looking dog. His body was shaped like a Dachshund only imagine a really old one with long, wiry-gray-Einstein-type fur. His face looked like a cross between a Schnauzer and a Rat Terrier on a bad hair day. He had huge brown eyes, stubby, stocky legs with white socks and a pathetically scrawny tail.
Brutus followed Dad everywhere. They were inseparable. Dad would putter in the garage or be working in the yard, and there was Brutus, next to Dad, adoringly wagging his tail. Dad would discuss inventions and mathematical equations as if Brutus was his assistant.
Every night they took a walk down the gully. When they returned, we couldn't tell which one of them had the better time. The dog had endless patience, just like Dad. We would prop Brutus up in the red easy chair (for a good background color) and pose him in various outfits and different hats.
Brutus was tolerant. So many animals came and went and he welcomed them all. Funny how animals adapt to us and almost become like us. I look back and smile with all those wonderful memories. To us, he was the 10 cent dog, but to Dad, he was worth a million...
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