Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The King and The Slobbery Kong

Here is King Hendrix.
The King Hendrix

And the slobbery Kong that you must throw for him at least 125 times a day.
slobber Kong
I have found for the dog that can chew through a tennis ball a day and Frisbees by the hour, a Kong is the ultimate dog toy. It takes a good 6 months or longer to destroy one of these things.
Hendrix is VERY obsessive about his Kong (probably due to the OCD he inherited from the family).
Not only do you have to throw it repeatedly for him every time you walk outside, there is a certain protocol you must follow to play Kong with Hendrix.
First he runs around to search for the Kong he can't ever remember where he last left it. When he returns he has to slobber and chew on the Kong a minimum of 7 times before he will drop it. Then he nudges it to you with his nose and finally allows you to throw it.
If you try to take the Kong before he has fully slobbered it up, you will be DENIED! He will stand there and hold on to his Kong as if his dear life depended on it, but at the same time paw at you and give you the sad eyes that he wants to play.
You must follow the rules.
Slobber slobber slobber, then wait for the nudge.
Now, once you have the basic rules down you are obligated to play Kong over and over until your arm tires and you are covered in slobber up to your elbows.

Run Forrest, Run
Hendrix has been my baby for 11 years now.
Many years ago, I wanted to buy a pup for my boyfriend Todd. He said he wanted a blue heeler. I had never seen or heard of a blue heeler before, but have now come to know that heelers are the best dogs ever!
So we found this farm out in Bastrop that had heeler puppies and drove out to pick one. Todd picked out this sweet little red heeler puppy who puked in my car on the ride home. I didn't bond with Hendrix right away. But after one long road trip with him in the front seat on my lap the whole 12+ hours, we became best buds.
I stole him after Todd and I broke up.
Hendrix has been my protector, my confidant, my date, my exercise buddy, my cow herder, my pillow, my buddy, and my favorite dog for 11 years.

Catch!
One of the funniest things about Hendrix is his persistence. He will keep after until he gets his way.
I used to take him to the river with me many times a week down in San Marcos. He would endlessly entertain us as we were swimming and sucking back a few beers.
He would first find a stick and bring it over for you to throw. He'd fetch the stick in the river, over the rocks, down the cliffs...but after a few throws with that stick he would come back with a bigger one. A few more throws and he would come back with an even bigger one. This would continue until he was literally dragging an entire tree branch 7 feet long over to you to throw. And would whine and whimper if you couldn't lift it up to throw for him!

Now we do have another dog, Toni, and I will tell her story another day, but you will never see a picture of her. For some strange unknown reason as soon as she sees a camera she heads for the hills. Every single time. Even when I'm trying to be sneaky and hide it behind my back. You won't see her until a good half an hour after the camera is put away.
Weird.

10 comments:

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

What a beautiful dog!

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

And a great member of the family

Nap Queen said...

OOHHHHHHH, I LOVE HIM! He and my Dulce would make some CUTE puppies :) Did you have to teach Hendrix to fetch? Dulce has the herding thing DOWN, but she could care less if we throw things for her. Thanks for posting about him. I just love dogs so much (and I love the action shots).

Leesa said...

This is adorable! Our neighbors have a dog that is the same way...he will fetch and fetch and fetch no matter how many times you throw it. So so cute :)

Spikey1 said...

Great dog! I miss mine now :(

Rhonda said...

He is so cute!!! And what a great story. I wonder why Toni hates having her picture taken. Maybe she is wanted for some canine crime and is afraid of being caught. (Sorry about that--we make up crazy stories about our dogs' lives...I'm not nuts, really)

Kat said...

Toni just knows that cameras steal the soul....hee-hee

Hendrix!!!! That dog right there is the reason I want a healer! I remember him bringing back a freaking log at the river one time, he could barely drag the dang thing. I also remember when that cop nearly clocked him after your neighbors were using their shotguns to shoot their pumpkins and the time he almost attacked my dad when we came up.... my dad always tells me to ask you how the dog that nearly killed him is...hee-hee-hee

I miss Hendrix! Can I come see him over the blog blowout weekend? I'll follow the rules of the game, scouts honor! :)

Anonymous said...

I can vouch for Hendrix. He is a wonderful dog! He's the kind of dog that is so devoted to you that he would do anything for you (like walk a thousand miles to find you).

WOW, that new camera of yours takes some awesome pictures! The close-ups and the action shots were fantastic, especially since they came from a digital camera! These pictures were enough to convince me that I want one too!

Mom

Anonymous said...

OOOHHH Those are such cute pictures of Henny! You know he has a very special place in my heart :) He has been such a good friend to you over the years. You brought back so many memories when you described the tree fetching from our San Marcos days, Hendrix was always there to watch over us while we swam and be ready with the biggest log he could drag over to us when we got out to sun ourselves. He was relentless as he is now with the Kong. Thanks for sharing those pictures, they made my day to see sweet Henny doing what he loves to do!

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