I don’t really think of my Uncle Dewey as having a lot of pets. However, I do remember him as someone who liked animals. And, someone whom animals liked. He enjoyed having them around and seemed to be able to do things with them that others couldn’t. According to Dad, Dewey had been that way for as long as he could remember. Most likely it was Dewey’s calm, quiet demeanor that attracted animals to him. He may have also learned/inherited some of it from his parents as his mom loved her horse Beauty and his dad was saddened when they had to give up their horses for a tractor.
Some stories about Dewey and animals . . .
In School
I am not sure how Dewey got a dog to do this, but . . . One day when Dewey was attending Rocky Vale (a one room school house), Dewey snuck a dog into the school. He got the dog to sit up in one of the student’s desks. Then, he sat a book up in front of the dog like the dog was reading. How he got the dog to sit there upon his request is a mystery. However, it was apparently some time before the teacher realized that one of the pupils had four legs and a tail.
Around the Farm
Being good with animals is very useful when you raise cows, pigs, and other farm animals. Some have a mind of their own or are uncomfortable with most humans. It is helpful if they will cooperate with you. One story I remember is about some kittens at the barn that hadn’t been tamed. No one could touch them. But, Dewey was able to pick them up.
Dewey also played with the domesticated animals around the farm. When he would wait for Dad who was getting a load of hay, the dogs (and maybe cats) would hang out with him. He would gently play with them. Sometimes he would take a blade of grass or whatever he could find nearby and tease them a little with it.
Old Age
As Dewey got older, his skin got thin and he would easily bleed if an animal scratched him. So, when he would go to visit Dad, whose dogs Dewey loved, Dewey would always take a pair of leather gloves with him. That allowed him to pet the dogs and enjoy their company without needing to be bandaged up.