Garden Dog Picking Vegetables

Way back when I was 4 years old in 1958, I remember things like being on the roof acting like I was helping and I had just gotten cast off both legs. From the roof I could see the garden as never before. A few years later helping in the garden was something I wanted to do not just expected to do. Dad was from a farm and had a vast knowledge of farming/gardening. That is another story where I'll tell of great tomatoes and bush beans.

Never had dad dreamed of a gardening dog. Being young I don't know it might be that dad taught Charlie. We always had a dog but when my sister Eva brought this mutt she called Charlie home, he was so ugly he was cute. Charlie got to be a family favorite, he spent his day with dad in the garden and would pick corn and some other vegetables, unless he was pulling down okra stalks. We do not have a clue why he disliked okra among all the different vegetables except it was like other broad leaf vegetables. We usually planted all through the growing season. Charlie picked at and tried to pick green beans but we had to keep him out of those. Charlie pulled down the old corn stalks playing with them all over the yard. We generally had melons and for fall lettuce, turnips and collards he didn't like those leafy plants either. Not unlike most dogs, Charlie wanted to be by your side. When planting seed he had to go, for digging up seed as fast as we planted was not working. Green onions and carrots he liked to pick to eat and got all he wanted, some dog Charlie was. Chasing rabbits, birds and squirrels was just a past time, his real passion was picking things from the garden which was only when dad was out there.

Old Charlie got ran over and we prayed for him to make it. He did live but his running and veggie picking slowed greatly. He just didn't have the heart to pull over okra stalks which were as tall as 14 feet and required a step ladder to pick. And picking happened at least twice a day. Well Charlie's time on earth passed and the family often spoke of his love of gardening. We never met another dog that helped in the garden like old Charlie. I have searched online for a garden dog and never found one. So if one day you meet a dog that's picking vegetables then drop me a line.