Rocky

Rocky arrived in the McCracken household at Christmas 1995.  He was a tiny little fur ball.  We went to get him and brought him home to surprise Mom and Dad.  When we arrived at the house, I slipped him under my coat and walked into the house. Dad immediately said, “You got a dog.”  I responded, “Why do you think that?”  He said, “Because you weren’t pregnant when you left here.”

When Rocky was a pup, Uncle Dewey would bring leather gloves with him when he came to our house.  The reason was that his skin was thinning and he bled easily, but he really wanted to play with Rocky.

However, Rocky didn’t like lightening or even light from a lighter.  Likewise, he didn’t like the flashes of light with fireworks.  So, he would sit in the car with mom while she watched the fireworks.  I guess he thought he was safe with her.

He loved everybody and everybody was supposed to stay home.  One time sis was at our place and Dad was getting ready to go out of town to a funeral.  Rocky planted himself on Mom’s lap as if to say, “You aren’t going anywhere.” 

Breed: Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund

Misty

Misty was a tiny little girl. Her signature activity was hauling shoes upstairs to get you out of bed.  You see, if you did not get out of bed when  Misty thought you should, she would bring you shoe after shoe until you got up.  She wasn’t picky, as she would bring you anyone’s shoes until you took the hint.  It was really funny since she was so small. 

Her night time habit was to run across us while we were in bed to get to the window to look outside.

She also liked to sit on my lap or next to the driver’s door while I drove.

Another favorite activity was burying dog food and popcorn in the closet.  We aren’t sure what she was keeping it for or who she was hiding it from.  One night she came in and she was just a crying away.  Found out Mom had thrown out some uneaten popcorn and Misty had a mouth full of it.

Breed: Terrier Mix

Smokey

When Smokey was young he looked a lot like a Bear, which is what Uncle Dewey called him.  His similarity to a bear was so strong that Dad worried that someone would mistake him for a bear.

He was very dedicated and lovable, but a bit clumsy. If he saw a squirrel run up a tree, he would sit by the tree for hours.  At other times he would love all over you, but might knock you over being clumsy.

Smokey liked to play games.  He would put his head above Coco’s head.  She would growl , he would run, and she would chase him.  He continued to do this even after she was too old to chase him.

Another game occurred one day when Jake was around two, Jake was playing with a ball and smokey took it away wanting to play with it and maybe he thought Jake would chase him..  Anyway, Jake cried.  We caught the whole incident on video.  Later, when we watched the video, Jake cried again.

Breed: Border Collie and Newfoundland (Ann’s guess)

Coco

Coco was a born mother.  Despite being spade, she was bound and determined to be a mom.  So, when we had some kittens at the house, she treated them as if they were her pups.

She carried a kitten in her mouth and put it in a rocking chair and curled her body around so that the kitten couldn’t escape. She also used her body to block the kittens in the bathroom so that they couldn’t escape.

Coco knew when a storm was coming and would move to be by your side.    One time Ann was out mowing on the riding lawn mower trying to finish as much as possible before it stormed.  Coco chased her around the yard until she quit. It is unclear if she was protecting you or wanted protected. 

Coco also loved corn on the cob.  She would go steal an ear out of the garden and eat it.

Breed: Cocker Spaniel mix

Tucker

Tucker was a little guy when we first met, but his paws told us that his size wasn’t going to last long. Today, he is somewhere in the 90 pound range.

Ann let him sleep on her lap when he was little and now he thinks he gets to even though he is huge.  That said, he really is a love bug.

He loves to run, chase deer, and play ball (mostly he likes to keep it away from whoever  is nearby).

He also loved to chase Brylee (cat) when they were living together.  She loved it, too.  He played mostly with Maverick when Maverick and Winchester (Jake’s dogs) stayed with us.  However, he played the most at Thanksgiving with Echo (a new addition to Jake’s household), who loves to pick on dogs and people.  Tucker and her played and played.

Tucker believes that anyone who sits down on the floor or ground is inviting him to sit on their lap.  And, he will argue with you if you try to push him aside.

Breed: Boxer mix with a giant dog (possibly Great Dane)

Trixie

The photo shows Trixie in her favorite spot – sitting by the food bowl guarding it.  Not sure who or what she thought was going to steal all the food, but they were going to have to go through her first.

Trixie’s other favorite thing to do was to announce that someone was in the outhouse.  No one could use it without anyone within hearing distance knowing.

She usually liked everyone except if you were fighting or she thought you were fighting.  Then she would nip at whoever she believed was the aggressor or who she thought was winning.

There was one time that Uncle Don spooked her.  She chased him to the house, which in turn spooked him.

Trixie was another dog that like to run over to Uncle Dewey’s when we went over.

Breed: Collie

Rex

When Rex was little someone had to hold him at night so he could get his snuggles.

When he got a little older, he would jump person to person or one piece of furniture to the next when he got what Ann calls the “Zoomies.”

Rex also liked to climb up on Dad.  One time he kept inching higher until he tipped the recliner over backward, sending the chair, Dad, and himself to the floor.

Rex also loved the water in his early years and loved to take a dip in the creek. However, he did not like fireworks.  They scared him.

He also was not a fan of heights.  Rex had to be rescued multiple times because he got up high and was afraid to come down. One time I remember him getting up on a narrow, but high rock in the pasture. Dad had to work and work with him to get him off of it.

He was lovable, bu love to run and knock you down. And, he could even if you braced for the attack.  He also scuffled with Rocky, but only for fun.

Breed: Border Collie, Labrador

Sputnik

Sputnik was one of Grandma and Grandpa’s dogs that we inherited. He got his name because when he was young he would repeatedly run circles around the house.  Thus, Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken named him Sputnik after the Russian satellite since he orbited the house.

Sputnik’s favorite thing to do was to run over to Uncle Dewey’s house when we went over there – just so he could ride back in the car.

One night soon after Dad bought the Rambler, Sputnik (or Sput for short) ran over to Dewey’s like usual.  However, it had been raining and he was a bit muddy.  Mom was mortified when Dad let him into the car to ride home.  Dad said, “What can I do? He expects to get to ride home in the car.”

Breed: Collie and Sheepdog

Ginger

Ginger was Sputnik’s son.  His mother was Mayberry’s bird dog.

Ginger’s signature move was to take his leg and put it around the back of your leg, which led to may a fall.  It was a move Dad adopted and mimicked. The move became known as a take down.

He liked to play and run and try to knock you down and he really liked to wrestle with Dad.  However, if he accidentally knocked a child over, he would get really upset.

Ginger was a protector.  I never worried about anyone messing around the farm even when Dad was working away.  Ginger wasn’t going to let anyone hurt any member of the family.  He also wasn’t going to let any animal into his territory.  He let other dogs know they weren’t welcome.  He would even attack coyotes if they got too close to the house.

Breed: Collie, Sheepdog, and bird dog

Tina

Tina was a bit skittish. She did not like kids at all and was even nervous around Dad. Our guess was that she had been abused before we got her. However, Tina loved Rod.  We never knew what it was that made her comfortable with him and not others.

One day Dad was carrying his lunch box.  Tina was following him with her nose to the lunch box.

She also followed Dad when he was planting potatoes.  In this case, she would eat the potatoes as he placed them on the ground.  Like Coco, Tina also liked corn on the cob.

Another activity Tina enjoyed that didn’t include food was jumping off the bank into the creek.

Breed: Terrier mix

Gypsy

Gypsy  was one of Grandma and Grandpa’s dogs that we inherited.  Unlike many of our dogs she primarily stayed outside.  It seems Grandma had taught her not to come into the house.

Although she was a member of the family at the same time as Sputnik, she never ran over to Dewey’s house with him.  She always stayed home to guard the property.

Breed: Collie