1955 – 1973

He came into the world before I did and was always a big part of the family.  With oversized ears and feet to go with them he was my dad’s pride and joy and constant companion.  As each of the kids arrived on the scene Archie remained the “head of the household” if you will.  As German Shepherds go he possessed an above average level of intelligence, but there were times throughout his life where that would come into question.

Archie was protective of the kids and the cars and would let anyone know to keep their distance when approaching.  That was not to say he was aggressive or mean, just protective.  Once he knew who you were he was the most loveable and friendly dog ever.  He never bit anyone on purpose, only once when being scared awake during an afternoon slumber in front of the old Beck & Bishop Grocery Store.

Most of his life was spent riding around in the back of whatever car the family happened to be driving at the time.  His favorite days were when Dad would take him to work with him as there was always someone willing to throw a ball, stick or even a big rock for him on the job sites.

As I mentioned, sometimes his intelligence would get called into question.  Like the day we all climbed into my mom’s Plymouth 383 Station Wagon and headed off to Glenwood Springs to do some important errands.  On this particular day our errands included a stop at the paint store, the bank and the obligatory visit to Spud Nuts.  No trip was ever complete without a big bag of fresh doughnuts from Spud Nuts.  Often we would also go by the Robo-Wash on our way out of town.  We all loved to go watch the robot circle around the car as it did its work of cleaning off the grime.  As an added benefit we all got a great laugh as Archie ran around the inside of the car all the while barking at the robot.  You learned quickly to get to the middle of the seats and clear a path for this 120 pound dog’s pursuit of the robot.

On this day things did not go as planned and this was probably our last visit ever to the Robo-Wash.  As Archie began his pursuit of the robot he inadvertently knocked over the cans of Latex paint in the very back of the station wagon.  In no time his feet and legs were coated in white paint.  This did not slow him down one bit as he chased the robot around from the inside of the vehicle.  Each visit to the back was like a painter dipping his brush in for more.  After 4 trips around the car, the exterior was as shinny as if it were new.  As for us, we were all coated in paint; the seats, windows and even the headliner were as white as the winter snow.  My mother was not sure if she should cry, get out, clean the car or “kill” the dog.  It was a very quiet trip home as we sat silently drying with all the windows down.  Forty one miles and a Hosty power washer later, most of the paint had been successfully removed from all of the participants in this great journey.

Over the years Archie had acquired a taste for all things painful.  It was as if he had no level of pain he could not willingly take on.  As a daily hobby he loved to chase bees and eat them.  I am not sure if any of them went down without a fight, all stinging his tongue in the process.  He would yelp, flail his tongue around for a few minutes and then go after his next bee.  It did not stop there.  On a number of occasions he would go after skunks, always losing in the process, and even porcupines.  I remember many trips to the vet to get needles removed from his mouth.  One time the needles were in so deep the vet told us that they would have to work their way out on their own. Even then, with needles imbedded in the roof of his mouth, he pursued and lost another battle with another porcupine. 

Archie, much like most dogs, loved to fetch.  He could do it for hours without end and did not care what you threw for him.  He especially liked the Super balls since they could bounce for blocks.  Once again his intelligence and common sense were constantly tested.  We learned early on not to bounce the balls straight up in the air as he liked to look skyward and catch them directly above him.  The problem we soon learned was that these rubber balls, bathed in saliva, would pass the teeth by and head for the smallest location they could in his throat.  More than once the Heimlich was required to allow him to play another day.

Archie lived to the very old age of 18 years.  His passing was difficult at best, particularly for my father.  Over the years we have had a number of other German Shepherds as pets, but none of them stacked up to Archie.