Dogs In My Life

I spent time yesterday thinking about the many dogs in my life.  One stands out as the most unusual.  Her name was Sweet Pea.  I adopted Sweet Pea while serving in Vietnam in 1969.  She was one of a litter of 8 puppies born to a dog belonging to the villagers next door to our compound.  She was the center of attention because one of her ears flopped over.  This was apparently a sign to the villagers that she must be food and eaten.  To save the little puppy from this horrible end, I purchased her for the sum of 500 piasters, a little more than $5 U.S.  Sweet Pea became our "Team Dog". She lived where we lived.  Every time the team was relocated to another village, Sweet Pea went with us, 

usually on a Chinook helicopter.

Over time, Sweet Pea's floppy ear stood up straight like all the other respectable dogs of the villages.  She became our "ears" and "noses" at night, always watching for anything attempting to enter our compound through the barbed wire uninvited.  She had a job.  She was a vital member of my mobile advisory team.

When my time was up in Vietnam, I came home, but I had to leave Sweet Pea behind with the remaining team members.  I stayed in touch with some of the members for a couple of months until they, too, eventually went home, leaving only strangers as team members.  I have always wondered how long Sweet Pea was one the team. I saw her last in 1970 when I left for home.  Did she see the end of the war with the team?  Or, was she also a casualty like many others?  Sweet Pea was a good friend, and a good dog.