Cynnamon

(October 15, 1988)

We got Cynnamon around Christmas shortly after TJ died. My sister bought her for us for Christmas. I remember that she was such a little puppy with a red ribbon around her neck and I almost stepped on her in the kitchen. She was such a smart dog. As a pup I trained her to speak for treats as well as to go get my furry sheepskin house shoes. She would go from the living room into the closet and bring them one at a time to me. That worked until one day I came home and found them chewed up. I remember once when we were up to Perryton visiting my sister; we gave Cynnie some rib bones. She became very ill. We took her to the vet and he gave her a shot. She was allergic to the shot and her face swelled up and we had to take her back and get another shot. She finally was ok by the end of the day. Another time about 10 years later I took the dogs to the vet and then when they got home they got baths. I used some strange soap and it gave Cynnamon an allergic reaction. I then gave her some Benedryl and she went to sleep. I woke up during the night to check on her and she had her eyes open and wouldn't move. I just knew she was dead. The rest of her life after that night I've considered a gift. Cynnie just loved to play with a tennis ball. She loved for you to throw it and then she would go smell where it bounced. She had a great nose and when she had smelled of every place it had hit she would get it and bring it to you to throw again. I've always said that if drugs smelled like tennis balls, we could make a mint with her sniffing them out. One time we were over to lake canton with my boat. We stopped in the middle at the sand islands and let her out to explore. Within five minutes she came back with a tennis ball that had washed up to shore. She really did love to go to the lake. She would roll her ball down to the water and get it wet and then she would throw it around and smell where it went. She could throw a ball by grabbing the fuzz with her teeth. Cynnamon always lived for her morning treats. When she was young I taught her to "speak" to get them. We used to be able to set the clock by when she would ask for it in the evening. As soon as the news came on at 10 she would come to get me to give it to her. When Cynnamon was about 4 years old she developed back problems. The closest place that did the surgery was in Lubbock. It cost about seven or eight hundred dollars to have it done. The vet told us she would need to stay there for a week for observation. The next day he called us and said "You need to come and get your dog. She doesn't want to be here and we don't want her here. She is growling and snarling her teeth at everyone that even gets close to her. When we got there that was sure the case. She was one ticked off dog. We got her home and everything was then ok. Cynnamon is now 18 and has lost the desire to chase tennis balls or anything else for that matter. She has given me a de fin ate lesson in geriatrics. I now carry her outside two or three times a day and just occasionally will she use the doggy door. Her days are now mostly spent sleeping. Although when supper is cooked you will find her in the kitchen.