my first dog - Rex,

Some years before I was born, my father saw during a motorcycle drive across Black Forest, when a farmer was drowning small animals in a pool. He packed a small one, put it in front into its leather jacket and drove as far as possible at home. He detected only there that it concerned a young dog. My father did not understand much of small dogs, but he wanted that it should be from now well. Therefore he named it Rex, because that is the real name of a good, tidy dog. It was overlooked that it concerned with the animal a female! This Rex developed to a watchful, faithful and absolutely peaceful dog. My parents lived at that time together with my grandparents in an official residence. Grandfather was a caretaker at a Freiburger school and looked after the school. It always was usual among the young people and children of the quarter, to employ itself with courage samples and other nonsense around the school. But that had an end, when Rex took over the supervision. She run after the children, the muzzle pulled up, barking on them, but she wanted not to bite . Because the buddies however did not know this a long time , they had enormous respect for so a small dog. Additionally the noise ensured that my grandfather became attentive to them.
When I was born, Rex had taken over a new function anyway. As a female she probably saw her new baby in me. In any case it was heavy for people to see in my buggy and look at me. In zero comma nothing the dog was springing high and sat down growling on the pram . So many unnecessary comparison analyses were impossible, so nobody could see, to whom I would probably resemble, or whether I would have hair and so on.
In bed my grandmother read to me stories. And always Rex was sitting in the morning and in the evening naturally down on my feet. My mother could be so always sure that my feet were warm.
As I was in the defiance phase, in the age of 2 or 3 years, I had decided , that I only eat together with my dog from the same cup. Now my mothers patience had a end. Now both, dog and child, should be educated. With only few success, as should be shown soon thereafter.
Rex, which never got bites from the table, which only ate, which one gave her, refused the food.- I who was always already delicated with the meal, I was vomiting the most out again . My mother the poorest one, was completely finished with the nerves, therefor my grandmother had a mad idea : Everyone gets the same cup, but not the same! So I got an enamel plate with red edge and Rex the same with a blue edge. Now there was peace , usually such nonsens live only a short time.
When I was almost five years old, the incomprehensible occurred. Our Rex became very ill and the many animal hospital attendance ended finally with the fact that we had to let him die. The cancer had already struck all organs and the bones. My mourning was naturally indescribable, because at that time I had no sister and the dog was my everything. Only the thought to be united again in the paradise brought a small comfort.
My granny had then arranged that the dog should be prepared. The tanner however understood it probably wrong, because some weeks after the death of the dog, an enormous package with the post office came. As usual children want always packages and so I also. It was a surprise. I was allowed to open it - the skin of my Rexes showed up. The head was stuffed, the remainder tan, like a rug. Like the tiger in the movie "Dinner for one"! I gave the skin never again off. The skin of Rex participated all the same, if I went into the kindergarten, when eating, when playing, when sleeping. I am naturally often stumbled over it, because it was too long. But also there my ingenious granny had again an idea. She turned the skin over in half, sewed the seam on the right and left too and finished was my "gigantic guinea pig ". Now Rex looked like a guinea pig. Only a few children know in the 50's something about guinea pigs and so they believed it.
Now I took Rex already with me everywhere i go. It was my doll, my teddy, my cuddlebear - it was still everything for me.
a lot of Years passed, I were married in the meantime and out of my parent`s house. In one night I dreamed about my Rex. The dream was so intensive and so I told it to my mother. She meant, time had come to throw the old skin out. It is now time to separate me from the skin . Never and never! Today my Rex, which by the way still smells like a living dog and still no moth holes has, completely in my wardrobe is situated. It is sufficient for me to know that Rex is there!