suzy the dog

when i was a button, 5 years or so, my dad took a job at a ranch that was up on the augua fria river. the camp we had was old, and isolated just a few yard from the river.  i remember that old house as being adobe with big high ceilings. when we moved there there was a old yellow dog laying on the screen porch. she came to us waggin her tail and lookin for a pet.  there was a note on the door that said the dogs name was suzy and it would be best to keep her ther as she warned of snakes. now i dont remember all this but my mom told this many times. suzy became my best friend and companion. when i went with dad to milk the cow suzy was always in front on that rocky  trail to the corral . many a time she would point out a snake by the trail. she would circle the snake barking and howling until dad got there to deal with mr snake . there was a barbwire fence along the road and i remember dad hanging those snakes he killed on that fence. more than anyone can remembers.
   many times at night we would wake to suzy barking and caring on out in the  yard. dad would get up and kill the snake then we would go back to bed.  she would even point out scorpions and centapieds crawling up the walls.   i dont remember the exact amount of time we lived there but i know mom was about to pull her hair out over the snakes. i started school there in a one room school and rode a little yellow bus to a back. me and a little blond haired girl were the only ones in the first grade. we even had a christmas play, i remember that.
       dad found another job back in maricopa where he stayed the rest of his life. but we always remember suzy, who we left there for the next folks to come along. i was worried about her getting to eat but dad said the ranch owners cared for her. not many folks get friends like her.