Tinya's Report

Tinya has saved, watched, trained, put-down, and raised more dogs than most of us will ever come into contact with in our lifetime. Her dogs are her family. And the dogs she lets stay with her become part of that family, too.

I texted her, “6min.” I know I shouldn’t have since I was driving, but I hadn’t seen the boys in two weeks and I was giddy. Yea, I get giddy. When you give her the proper heads up, she’ll have all their “stuff” (food, leashes, etc.) waiting at the gate.

I whipped into the entrance and dang near hit the gate with my bumper. Their “stuff” is waiting, just as expected, along with eight to ten other dogs, but Dirt and Mud are still in the house—a hundred yards or so up the drive.

Leaving the door open and the engine running, I hopped out of my truck, walked to the gate to greet the other dogs, and leaned my elbows on it, waiting for Tinya to let my boys out of the house. I heard the sound of the back door shut. I look up and, rounding the corner in a full out, ears pinned back sprint, is the Mud Man!

“Mud Dog!” I hollered at him. By the time his eyes locked on me, his front paws were in the air. Like an olympic hurdler, he dang near fully cleared the top of the red metal pasture gate. Paws just barely grazing the top. “Beautiful form!” I told him as his front paws landed in the gravel and he made his way into the cool air conditioned truck.

Not to be undone, Dirt was already in mid-jump—but instead of going over the gate, Dirt decided to go through it. About a 10” space from the top two bars. And he dang near cleared it. It was the last quarter of his undercarriage that made the difference, causing him to adjust mid leap with a rear butt wiggle as I held his front half.

“That’s cause he needs to lose weight!” Tinya yelled as she strolled down her gravel drive to greet me in her signature Teva sandals and tie dye tank top.

“Yea he needs to lose a few…” I admitted as she continued as she reached the gate. We gave a quick fist bump—as the dynamic between us calls for. We’re not old friends, but she has a way of making you feel like you’ve known her a while.

“Dirt was a pain in my butt this time!” She started going over the boys report card.

“Oh yea?” I muttered as I closed the door to my truck. “Well good to see you too. How ya been, T?”

“Oh, me? I’m fine. Didn’t sleep all that great, but I’m fantastic.”

“Well that’s good to hear.”

“Had a skydiving accident. Been a night owl ever since.”