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1:21pm

RUSTY THE ROBBING SPANIEL

Many years ago my parents were for the first time dogless.All my life we always had dogs and cats. My daddy was starting with his health issues that lead to his death. I just had to get him a dog.I located a spaniel rescue group.We found "RUSTY THE ROBBER".My daughter and I went and purchased Rusty a blue jean outfit complete with hat and vest. He was one sharp dressed out boy. We filled a box with everything a dog ever needed or wanted. My daddy had NO idea. We rang the doorbell and walked in with Rusty. Daddy's eyes lit up like I hadn't seen in years. Rusty ran up and jumped in Daddy's lap immediately. From that day on Rusty and daddy were best buds. Rusty had a very funny personality. We were sure he was a human in dogs clothing.He always was pulling off something hysterical and knew it was as he would repeat it just to hear us laugh. When ever the family met at my parents for family gatherings all the females would set down our purses on the floor in the den. After several times of arriving home and many of us realizing money was gone we couldn't figure out what was going on. Never was it a dollar bill nor even a five. Always a ten or twenty dollar bill. It was concerning as we all knew none of us were thieves. After one of our trips my phone rang when I got home. My daddy asked me if I was missing money? I looked and indeed I was! A twenty again was gone! This made the 2nd or 3rd time just for me! We usually gathered every Sunday so it became a weekly loss for us.My mother even was missing money. She thought it was my daddy taking it. Daddy said they went to wash Rusty's blanket on his bed and found money under it! I am not kidding! We decided we would set Rusty up with purses in the regular spots and watch from another room. We set them down and low and behold but what happens? Rusty walks up, sticks his head in the purse(S) takes the wallets in his mouth shakes them until they open. He drops them into the purse.Then he picks up either the tens or twenties only! He went then to his bed. He then would return and go to the next purse! We were in shock! Yet we were in hysterics with laughter.Who would have ever thought we have a dog that was a thief? What in the world was he stashing money for? Rawhides? Milkbones? Possibly a new outfit? We then had to try to figure out who had lost what over the weeks. If we weren't sure it went to the Rusty fund. I acutally called the Rescue group to see if he had been given up due to being a thief? LOL They informed me he was extremely intelligent and they were amazed at some of the antics he would pull. I told them "No kidding!" We in jest laughed about taking him to a mall and he could gather our holiday shopping money for us.Of course we were kidding. We could not figure out how he knew the difference in tens,twenties and ones and fives? How did he know to hide it? How was he going to spend it and how was he getting to the store to shop??? Daddy always took him for daily drives as long as daddy could drive. When daddy could no longer drive I would go over and take Daddy and Rusty out for a countryside tour. When daddy became so ill and had to have a 5 way by-pass and would not come out of a coma I took a picture of Rusty to his bedside. I knew it would bring daddy out of the coma. Daddy came around but would not speak.The nurse asked him who the picture was of and Daddy took off talking 100 mph. Rusty meant the world to my daddy. Daddy was always a prankster to so they were a perfect pair. Rusty was with Daddy many years and gave daddy such happiness. Both are gone now. I now know Daddy and Rusty are both in heaven playing and watching t.v. and possibly driving around. Let's hope there are no purses in heaven! This is just one of my many precious memories of a animal in our life that has helped our family. Rusty the Robber we miss you.