Killin' Chickens

Killin' Chickens

by Tom Woodard

When I was around 10, we had a jet black female cocker spaniel. At some point she got pregnant by an unknown male and had just one puppy, a mixed breed. Like his Mom, he was jet black, and had that distinctive curly cocker spaniel hair, but he was much larger, between twice and three times the height of a cocker. He was a beautiful dog! We named him Blackie, and he was with us for quite a few years.

Well, at some point in time Blackie discovered the sheer joy inherent in killing the chickens which belonged to a black family who lived up behind us, a little beyond the small house occupied by our maid, Elsie. Back in those days a chicken killin' dog was as good as dead, and I knew it! It was just a matter of time.

One hot, dry, dusty Summer day, when I was around 13 years old, I was out in the yard and here comes Blackie, trotting down the unimproved field road that led to the two houses behind us, from the direction of where the chickens resided, and in his mouth was a big ol' white hen - dead of course. He was so proud of himself, trotting down that road with his head held way high, sporting his prize, and I think when he saw me he thought he was going to receive high praise for taking this trophy! When I got to him, which was quickly, he was still in that old road, where the dust was as fine as talcum powder. I walked straight up to him, with fist clenched tight, and delivered a powerful blow, right on the top of his head. I hit him so hard his head hit the ground, amidst a cloud of dust, and that ol' hen just popped right out!

Well, folks, I want you to know that Blackie never touched another chicken, and lived to such a ripe old age that his jet black hair was about half silver when he died. When I was 15, my parents built a new home about half a mile away, and when we moved Blackie, having been on the old place all his life and being up in years (for a dog), refused to go with us and lived out his life with Mr. Morgan Williams and his wife, who bought the old farm house I grew up in.

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