AUSTRALIAN BLUE HEELER

Not my pictures but accurate representations.

When I moved to Okeechobee Florida I had never heard of a Queensland Heeler aka Blue Heeler, Australian Cattle Dog, or Red Heeler. Okeechobee being cattle country, used the dogs quite a bit as cattle herders. The around 30 pound dogs are called Heelers as they nip the heels of cattle to direct them. They are small but tireless workers. Day worker cowboys get paid extra if they have a dog for it is said the dog is worth two cowboys.

My introduction to a Heeler came in the back yard of a high bill complaint customer. On first look, I thought I was seeing some exotic zoo animal. Their coloring is very unusual. The main coat is gray, flecked with black giving a blue appearance. The markings around face, legs and chest vary from black to red. There are some that have their coat flecked with red, thus the name of the Red Heelers.

To a novice as I was, this is an exotic looking dog and a puppy will just melt your heart. That is what I saw in their back yard, a pack of puppies. I was a little put off by their $125.00 price tag which was huge about 25 years ago but I was smitten and had to have one. Though I have rescued over 250 dogs, I have only bought two. That puppy was my first purchase.

She was a little female and I named her Jip which I stole from David Copperfield. Jip matured into a lovely little Heeler and as she entered her second heat, I thought I would breed her. I had a friend who owned a marvelous working Heeler named Jack and a breeding was arranged in exchange for pick of the litter.

The breeding took and Jip produced a lovely litter of 6 pups. Of course the pick of the litter went as stud fee and I was left with 5 really cute puppies. When I took them to the vet for their shots and worming, I met a lady outside the vets office who just fell in love with the runt. Of course they were too young to sell so I gave her my card and told her when they would be ready, how much they would cost --- hoping she would never call.

I am very ashamed to say, I prejudged this woman totally on her appearance. As she had cornered me on the way into the vets office with my basket of puppies, I saw her vehicle. It was an old, barely running car. She had 3 very young children who were very well behaved but dressed in thread worn clothes. She was carrying a very sickly kitten that she had found and was having vet checked. That last fact was the only reason I gave her my card but I was hoping that was the last I would hear from her.

When the puppies grew, I found what I hoped would be wonderful homes for them. Two,I gave away to co-workers, one to my blacksmith and one I sold for a small amount to my boss to help cover vet expenses. Only the runt was left and then, "that lady" called. I quoted her full price of $125.00 and she never wavered. This was a lot of money for me in those days and I had a really good job. I have no idea where she got the money but she did. Later, when I saw her drive away with the pup, I was certain I had not done the right thing for that little dog and felt quite guilty.

Before a year was up, all the puppies that I had meticulously placed in loving homes were dead. Three had been run over and one had been shot by an irate neighbor. That left only the runt and her iffy home.

I ran into the woman at the grocery store almost two years later and she insisted I stop by her home and see the runt, now named Emma Lou. Interested to see how my only surviving puppy had turned out,I followed her home.

I was quite surprised by her home. It was not elaborate by any means but was very neat with a fenced in, well cared for yard sporting flowers and a vegetable garden. Emma Lou bounced out of the house and joyfully leaped up into the arms of the woman with a happy grin on her speckled face. She had certainly not turned out to be the prettiest of the pups. Her legs were too long, her body too short and her nose too thin, but she was obviously happy, healthy and alive, something her siblings had not managed.

I left that day feeling quite stupid about my previous prejudgment of this woman. Her family didn't have a lot of material things but they had enough for comfort and I am pretty sure she would have done what ever was necessary to provide for her children and her pets. I totally admired her and felt Emma Lou was one lucky pup.

Right before I moved to Arkansas about 5 years ago, I got a phone call out of the blue.

"You don't remember me," the strange female voice started, " but I bought a Blue Heeler from you 19 years ago."

"Yes I do remember you," I said honestly for she had so impressed me. " How are you?"

"Ok now, I guess," she said with a catch in her voice,"This is the first I have been able to call you and not break up. I just wanted you to know that Emma Lou passed away last month. She was 19 years old and I thought you would want to know, she had a long and happy life."

I was almost speechless. Emma Lou had lived 19 years!!! That was just beyond amazing. We talked a while and finally she ended our conversation with,"I just wanted you to know and to thank you."

I thanked her for calling but in my heart, I thanked her for firmly embedding in me years ago that appearances mean little, character means all. The kindest hearts are rarely clothed in the finest silks. It was a lesson never lost on me.