Mom and Dad

Barb Phillips

Lila Ashby

Arlyn Fisk

Stan Fisk

Mike Preslar

Debbie Tarr

Randy Ashby

Jerry Ashby

Danny Ashby

Jack Ashby

Dale Fisk

Dana Kellerman

Venus Zook

Mandy Miller

Sweet Evie

Luna Belle

Onion Soup

Poetry

Odds & Ends

Trivial Stuff

I was always able to do this! I always enjoyed standing on my hind legs like a chipmunk.


Onion Soup and his namesakes
I was born sometime in the late Spring of 1985 in Gainesville, Florida. I was a mixture between a Dachsund and a Basset Hound! Quite a mix, huh? The Dachsund part is why I was so good at standing on my hind legs, low center of gravity, you know.

I was the last of a litter of puppies to be adopted from the Alachua County Animal Control and thankfully for me, Stan and his daughter Venus rescued me just a day or two before my time would have been up. Whew! Close call there!

Stan lived in a very small apartment when he first got me and I didn't like that style of life one bit. And I let Stan know by chewing on everything in sight. In retrospect, I was very lucky that Stan didn't get rid of me during the 2 years we lived in the apartment, because I chewed up the carpet, the linoleum, the panelling on the wall, his record albums, photo albums, lamp cords, shoes, pretty much anything I could get my teeth into. I was NOT happy confined in that small space.

But finally Stan bought a house and he fenced in the back yard and made a doggie door for me so I could go outside anytime I felt like it. Boy was that nice! I thought I had it made then until one day Stan brought home another dog. Her name was Buffy and she was a very jealous dog. I must say that we didn't get along very well at all because Buffy always wanted Stan's attention even when he was trying to play with me. After a while I kind of gave up and just stayed off by myself.

Onion Soup and Buffy in my back yard

Buffy lived with us for about 2 years, I think, and she was always a stay-at-home dog, never trying to get out of the yard. Me, I got out every chance I could to roam the neighborhood. But oddly enough, one day Buffy did get out of the yard and she never came back. Good riddance, I thought, but I did feel bad for Stan because I know he likes all dogs. After that, I became friendlier again but I still felt a little standoffish.

Anyway I feel I had a pretty good life after all. I started getting sick in 1996 and didn't have much energy or ambition to do much of anything but sleep and eat. I got fat and developed problems getting up the back stairs to get into the house. Stan built me a ramp, that he even carpeted, to make it easier for me to go in and out of the house. He really is a nice person. < p/> By the end of the summer of 1997 I could barely walk and one evening in September when Stan came home, I could tell something big was happening to me. I couldn't even get off the bed to go greet him at the door. I could hardly move at all. I felt really bad and I didn't know what to do.

Stan cried when he saw me and he carried me outside so I could go to the bathroom. He set me down in the back yard and I did my business. Afterwards, I had the urge to simply look around the yard to see my territory one last time. I don't know why I knew it was the last time, but I did. I think Stan knew it, too, cause he looked so sad.

Mom and Onion

We spent that night lying on the living room floor and every time I moved, I yelped because it hurt me so. When daylight came, he took me for a ride to the veterinary office. I usually hated going to that place because they always wanted to stick me or do something uncomfortable to me when I was there, but this time it was different. Stan went with me to the little room and set me on the table. I lay very still because everything hurt so bad. Stan talked to me and petted me and the doctor did the same thing but I could barely acknowledge that they were there. Everything looked blurry and out of focus.

Then I felt a little stab of pain in the back of my neck and heard Stan crying loudly. I wanted to tell Stan that it was OK and he didn't need to worry about me, I would be fine. But I didn't have the chance. I dozed off quickly and all the pain disappeared in a flash.

Now I'm comfortable in my after life and I see Stan has a new dog. I'm not jealous, I never was, and I'm glad Stan is doing fine. I had a good life and I know Luna will also.

Thanks for listening to me. OS.

Onion Soup at Flagler Beach