Sunday, June 22, 1997
Blackie, a running, working, praying canine
machine
By Ken Ellsworth / Abilene Reporter-News
ABILENE - Blackie, a big, white dog, loves the work he has
chosen for himself, tedious and aimless though it must surely
seem to the rest of us.
I first noticed the dog just the other day. He was trotting
through the long grass just ahead of a man on a large riding mower
on the grounds of Lytle Shores Auditorium at Lytle Lake and Oldham
Lane. The facility is owned by West Texas Utilities.
Several hours later on the same hot and humid day, I drove
by the property again. The big white dog was still tirelessly
trotting through the tall grass, staying maybe five yards ahead
of the mower.
The dog's body was all grace and determined purpose as he tirelessly
trotted. He lifted his paws high and held his head up alertly.
But as he ran, his purple tongue flapped in such a way that it
looked as though the dog was smiling, enjoying himself, even laughing.
It was too hot, though, to have that much fun, I thought. It
would be far better to lie in the shade with your tongue hanging
out.
The man doing the mowing at the Lytle Shores Auditorium was
Jess F. Garcia, the property's maintenance man. Garcia has lived
in Abilene since finishing an Air Force stint at Dyess in 1962.
He is a slight, friendly, weathered-looking man.
The mowing finished for the day, Garcia looked with admiration
at his dog. The dog now stood in the back of Garcia's pickup truck,
anticipating the ride home. He wagged his tail and and looked
back at Garcia.
"I raised him from a pup," Garcia said proudly. "I
named him Blackie because he was white. It was just for conversation,
you know."
He said Blackie, age 2, with medium length hair, was a mixture
of chow and German shepherd and weighed about 80 pounds.
Garcia said he wanted to teach Blackie to ride in the pickup,
so he started bringing Blackie to work. It was Blackie's idea,
though, Garcia said, to run constantly before the mower.
"He never stops. It takes me about six hours to mow this
place and he runs the whole time. He loves to run. He loves to
come to work. Sometimes I think, 'You dumb dog. Why don't you
go get in the shade?' But he never does. But what he does do,
when he gets hot and thirsty, is go jump in the lake to cool off
for a minute. Then he comes right back and runs in front of the
mower again. Feel him. He's really in shape. He's all muscle."
I patted Blackie and felt his strength. Blackie asked for additional
pats.
"He loves to come to work and he loves people, but if
I know people are going to be here, though, I don't bring him
because, you know, some people are afraid of dogs. So I have to
tell Blackie he can't come. I say, 'Blackie, you can't come today.'
He looks back at me and he looks so sad because he wants to come
to work so bad," Garcia said.
I asked Garcia why Blackie led the mower instead of following.
Garcia said he didn't know, but it was interesting because,
"He has learned the pattern. He knows exactly where I'm going
to mow next. I can just follow along."
In the morning when Garcia packs his lunch for the day, he
also makes up an additional lunch for Blackie. Garcia also brings
a Frisbee to work. During the lunch break Garcia throws the Frisbee
into Lytle Lake, and Blackie relaxes by running some more and
swimming, too.
"Another interesting thing about him is that he prays
before he eats," Garcia said. "Well, I really do the
praying, but Blackie won't eat until after I say, 'Amen.' "
Garcia looked at Blackie and gave him an appreciative pat.
"He keeps me company and he's very obedient, too,"
he said.
This column covers the cities and communities of this part
of West Texas. To contact Ken Ellsworth, call (800) 588-6397 or
(915) 673-4271, Ext. 381, or write to P.O. Box 30, Abilene, TX
79604.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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