Life with Dogs
I always remember having dogs in my life. My father, Ronald “Pee Wee” Day, raised the best beagle dogs around when I was a child. I remember he always strove to raise short-legged beagles with lots of freckles on their legs, white tipped tails, and their ear tips had to meet under their chin. He always enjoyed listening to their deep barks as they chased the rabbits. Most of the time he just took them out to watch their tails wagging in the bushes and listening to them as they chased rabbits. I remember when he had a litter of puppies he would have all his friends watch for a rabbit that had been hit on the road to give to him and it was my job to drag the rabbit and get the puppies started tracking. I was always amazed that the rabbit would literally be 5 feet away from the puppies and they could see it but their little noses would hit the ground and they would follow the scent to find it rather than looking up in the air and seeing it.
I wanted to show in 4-H so started with Dad’s beagle dogs for the first few years. I wanted to try a different breed but Dad thought the only dog for a child was a beagle. My church elder, Arthur France, had a litter of Border Collie mixed puppies and I brought home a puppy. I called him Lucky Trixter, cause I knew I would be Lucky if Dad let me keep him! He did and our adventure began! Lucky was always by my side and was my best friend. We showed in 4-H and in 1982 won Grand Champion Obedience and Showmanship. We also showed at the Indiana State Fair Dog show that year. Back then we showed outdoors in the infield of the race track. We had many adventures together as I grew up. He was my first special dog and taught me so many things. I made mistakes with him and I have strove to learn and grow in my training and honor his memory.
