Day 6 of 31 Letters is inspired by a poem we bumped into on Day 6 of 365 Days of Literacy for Kids.

The poem is GERMAN SHEPHERD by Myra Cohn Livingston:

He has never heard of tides,
of moon and sun
pulling the water to ebb, to flow.
All that he can know
is to outrun
white foam and waves,
wetting his paws, his muzzle,
playing the game
in the joy of a wetness
He can never name        ocean.

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The poem is about how animals romp and run and play and ENJOY life… even without knowing the names or nature of things.  It’s all about FUN and LIFE and ADVENTURE.

The topic of today’s letter is about a special bond with a special pet.  If you didn’t have a pet, write about why you never had a pet…

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My letter 6 of 31 Letters to my grandchildren is about my childhood dog, Chippy:

Dear ________________,

Hi, my little darlings!  I know that you know that I love dogs… but I don’t think I’ve ever told you about a time in my life when I was terrified of dogs.  This letter is about a special dog who changed all of that…

Remember my letter about the colossal reindeer at the petting zoo?  Well, that just set the tone for me about animals.  After that, I was afraid of most animals.  Especially big ones.

This brings me to a big dog who lived with the people who owned a little convenience store down the street from my house. The name of the store was Hershel’s.  I was 10 years old and my friends and I went to that store every day.  We rode our bikes there to pick out penny candy.

I was always on the lookout for that big dog who loved to run from the house and greet the kids who pulled into the little circular driveway of Hershel’s.  I would jump off my bike, get on the opposite side of the dog, park my bike right next to the door and RUN IN.  One day, the owner of Hershel’s and the dog told us that the dog had given birth to 8 puppies the night before.  All of my friends wanted to see the puppies, but the owner said they’d have to wait until the puppies were bigger.  I was fine with that because one big dog and 8 puppies sounded a little scary to me.

Soon, though, the puppies were roaming around outside.  My friends were all in love with them and begged their parents to let them take one home.  My brothers were in on the begging… they wanted one of the puppies for US.  My Mom and Dad said, “No. No. No.”

I was secretly happy.

One day, a bright Sunday in June, my Dad pulled our car into the circular driveway of Hershel’s like he always did on our way home from church (he always bought a Sunday paper there).  This day, he smiled and said, “Let’s pick out our puppy.”

After the stunned surprise, my brothers were out of the car in a flash.  My Mom was laughing.  My Dad was smiling.  I was like, “WHAT?”

My brothers looked at all the puppies who were still there.  Some of them had already been adopted.  Finally, my older brother Billy spotted a puppy way under the porch stairs… way back, all rolled into a tiny ball… sleeping.  The owner told us that this puppy was the runt of the litter.  That means this puppy was the smallest and weakest of the puppies.

My heart all of a sudden broke for this little puppy sleeping under the staircase.  My Dad told Billy to crawl under the stairs to get the puppy.  He did.

When Billy crawled out into the sun with the puppy in his arms, that puppy filled my heart with love.  He was tiny.  He was brown with a white neck and little white feet.  His eyes were half-closed and he was just meant to be ours.

We took him home and named him Mr. Chips, but called him Chippy.  Chippy became another brother to me.  He grew big and strong… way different from the little runt he was supposed to be!  He loved to run and roam and bust off his leash and run out of our yard.  He never heard of tides or moon or sun, or ebbs or white foam or waves… he just knew how to have fun.  Chippy knew about adventure without even knowing the word.

Chippy taught me all about LOVE.  He was always there for a giant hug.  He was always there to listen to me.  He always insisted on getting scratched… all the time, actually, and we even bought him his own back-scratcher!  He would sit next to someone in the family and whimper until someone got his back-scratcher with the little hand on the end to scratch his back!    He LOVED me and my family just as much as we loved him.

Chippy was there for me when my family moved to Rhode Island when I was almost 13.  That was a difficult move for me because I left all my friends in New Hampshire.  He was there for my first date.  He was there for me when I was heartbroken over some boy or other.  Chippy never broke my heart!  He was there for my high school graduation and my college graduation.  He was there when I met the man who would become your Grandpa/Pop-up some day!  He was there when my Dad died… the most sad time of my whole life.

Chippy gave me all the words of LOVE in the entire world without ever saying one WORD to me.  I will cherish my memories of Chippy always, and how he gave me the way to love all animals… all from that little curled up sleepy runt of a puppy under the porch stairs next to Hershel’s.  I’d say Chippy’s love was flawless.

I know you love doggies… and I hope you see how great love and fun and adventure can come even when NOT ONE WORD is said!  It’s kind of like a miracle!  It’s what we call a SPECIAL BOND!

I love you forever and ever,
Grandma Couto

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MAIL TIDBIT of the day:  The United States Post Office (U.S.P.O.) was created in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin on Wednesday, July 26, 1775.