Jerry Elder

My Best Friend!

I wasn’t even born yet. Dad came home and walked in the house and showed him to mom and said to her! This baby needs a DOG!

He was a German Shepherd, typical colors of the black and gray, small with BIG feet! In talking with mom, that was the LAST thing that we needed after all, the house was small, I had a six year old sister and she was not found of dogs.

They named him Skip!

Then I was born! (now most of this I am telling is a recall of mom’s telling me this) We were a complete family, Dad, Mom, Girl, Boy and Skip!

From the beginning we were the best of friends! Mom said, “He wouldn’t leave you alone! Every time we came home he had to smell you, lick you and love on you! He was twice your size!”

I am alive because of that dog, we lived in the country on a small farm. The road in front of the house had traffic, but not a lot. It was common in those days to let the children go out and play! I was still in diapers and decided that I could go to the road… by myself. Got in the road and Skip saw me there. He knew I wasn’t suppose to be there and he grabbed me by the diaper and proceeded to drag me back to the house.

Skip would go with me to the bus when I started school, and be waiting for me when we came home. I really loved that dog.

That dog meant the world to me.
He was:
My Protector – I hate snakes, he did too, and he would shake one to death! He also kept bullies away!
My Horse – yes, I rode him a time or two.
My Playmate – I would chase him and he would chase me.
My Comforter – during some hard times in life
My Best Friend – unconditionally – even when I was mean to him, he would still run back to me!

He went missing for a while when I was about 11 years old. I remember crying so much when Dad said we couldn’t find him. I walked everywhere looking for him. Dad rode the roads every afternoon after work and we would cry out for him. After a few weeks we had pretty much decided he had gotten killed, or attacked and we could not find him.

My heart was crushed.

Then one morning I heard a whining sound, I knew it was a dog. I ran outside and there was Skip! He was thin, he had chewed a rope in two that had he had been tied with.

BUT HE WAS HOME!!!

I think we all cried the tears of joy!

He never ventured far away from home after that and we enjoyed the time we shared.

When I was 13, I came home one day and mom was home. She reminded me that Skip was old and that dogs don’t live as long as people. Skip had died, I think that telling me this was the hardest thing she had ever done.

I cried…a lot.

I lost my best, loyal friend!

There are movies that have been created, Old Yeller, My Dog Skip (no relation), Marley and Me and others. I have watched them 1 time. I have cried in all of them. If this takes my man-card away you can have it!

There are many other stories I could tell about my life with this dog. And I might tell another sometime soon.

But today I’m thankful for the 13 years with a childhood friend through thick and thin

I thank God for Skip!