# I am an awful person



## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Two things, un-related. But just prove I'm a jerk. 

#1. Saturday morning, my wife accidentally ran over her fru-fru dog, in front of our autistic son that loved the little fur ball, all in our driveway, and killed it. 

#2. My office is on the South Fork of the Teton River. Because of that, I keep a flyrod behind the door in my office, so if there is a hatch, I can go out and fish every now and then. So I keep my little 7 1/2 3 weight broken down but ready to fish. Well, on Monday, I'm not sure what happened, but the rod had slipped in the corner, and got closed in the office door, smashing it just at the top of the lower section. I've had that rod for 30 years, catching a 12 pound brown on the Beaverhead with it, and a 5 pound largemouth once from a pond in Nebraska. I built the rod when I was in college, after selling plasma to buy the components. 

So here is the deal. I'm more sad about losing the fly rod, than losing the fru-fru dog. What is wrong with me?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

So sad.

I would seek professional help.

I can see you tomorrow at 2:00 pm. Bring pumpkin pie. I have whip cream and Mountain Dew.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

GaryFish said:


> Two things, un-related. But just prove I'm a jerk.
> 
> #1. Saturday morning, my wife accidentally ran over her fru-fru dog, in front of our autistic son that loved the little fur ball, all in our driveway, and killed it.
> 
> ...


The only thing wrong is that you have to come on here and ask a silly question like that....there's nothing wrong...you've had the fly rod much longer than muttley and had many more enjoyable experiences with it as well...duh...not take off your girlie pants and put on your man pants. ;-)


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> So sad.
> 
> I would seek professional help.
> 
> I can see you tomorrow at 2:00 pm. Bring pumpkin pie. I have whip cream and Mountain Dew.


Wish I had a dime for every time I've heard that!


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Hey the fly rod was a creation of your own hands! The dog was not, although it is to bad your boy had to see it. I don't think there is a thing wrong with you. (I'll take payment in Dew also).:mrgreen:


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Friends have been asking if we'll get another dog. 

No.

As for the fly rod? How is a guy to survive without a 7 1/2 foot 3 weight? It just wouldn't be proper.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

As for getting another dog? I've had to put down 3 Siberian Huskys in the last 10 years. TO hard, finding someone to care for them when your gone, tearing up my wife flowers, craping everywhere, plus the hardship of putting them down. I had one I cared for so much I had him cremated. No more dogs for us.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

A 30 yr old 3 weight is a probably a 1wt. Rare indeed. And I think your feelings aren't PC enough-- you need to enjoy that you are sane.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

This is a tough one, but I think if you handle it wisely, your entire family can come out ahead. 

1. First off, I would imagine that your wife is as traumatized by her loss as you are in yours. If you show (feign?) an abundance of understanding to her in her time of need and perhaps even consider another foo-foo dog if her and/or your son wishes one, you will be seen by them as a great guy.

2. Since your wife is so grateful that she is married to such an understanding man, she will want him to be happy too and will have absolutely no problem in rewarding him with a token of her appreciation. Why, it might even be a 7 1/2 ft 3 wt rod built by a top tier manufacturer or the equivalent components to build one. A rod that a nymph fishing hack like myself can only dream of acquiring. 

3. Lastly, the loss of a fine rod is the same as the loss of a loyal pet. Both take time to get over, are never entirely forgotten, and the memories are always a positive part of us. 

4. In the mean time, I prescribe heading to the Henrys fork with some glo bugs for some post spawn brown action. Trust me, I'm a professional.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Gary were you not the person who tracked a pumpkin pie in the fridge in your office for 4 months? That takes some big boy pants right there.:grin:


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

No matter what I wouldn't let my wife read that----------------------- true or not I like sleeping with both eyes shut


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

Dunkem said:


> No more dogs for us.


Aw, come on. Dogs are the best, man! A really great dog is like a part of you. We feel that way about losing them because of how great they are. When my current dog dies I'll cry with the wife and get tanked and spend a month or two running my mind over the hole she left and then go choose another dog the same way, walking around shelters until a dog with good, smart eyes barks insistently when we walk out of sight. Honestly I think some people actually NEED to have a dog.

Sometimes not everybody in the house ends up bonding with the dog...I picked a dog that I connected with despite my wife telling me we had to get a very small dog. Almost every little dog I've ever seen just doesn't click with my personality.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Packfish said:


> No matter what I wouldn't let my wife read that----------------------- true or not I like sleeping with both eyes shut


That is PRECISELY why I brought the story here, instead of to facebook. ;-)



Dunkem said:


> Gary were you not the person who tracked a pumpkin pie in the fridge in your office for 4 months? That takes some big boy pants right there.:grin:


Yup. That was me. And it was five months. Where has all the time gone? With all the pumpkin pies in the stores right now, I can't walk by one and not smile. I've been tempted to buy one and put it in the office fridge to see how long it lasts. The thing with that, is I now have my own office, and the fridge is a mini-fridge, and I'm the only one that uses it. So it wouldn't have the same meaning. BUT - the blog I started about the pumpkin pie, actually was started about a ham, and the story turned from the ham, to the pumpkin pie. Though I haven't touched that site in years, it still lives - in loving memory of Pumpkin Pie. Here is the blog:
http://therealtorham.blog.com/

And here is the thread here where I documented the adventures of the realtor fridge:
http://utahwildlife.net/forum/26-recipes/39236-goob-s-basement-nope-fridge-real-estate-office.html

As for the poochie, it was a ****htzu, or however you spell it. We've had her for like 7 years, and always figured we'd have her bred so we could make some bank on the puppies. No one in the family really like her, including my wife. In fact earlier in the morning, she had yanked a blanket out from under the sleeping dog because she didn't want the dog on it. And though the dog's name was Dayzee, it was more commonly referred to as Rat, Furball, Dropkick and Ihatethatstupiddog. We do have another dog - a springer - that we all love and adore. We got him from a forum member here nearly 10 years ago. He is an absolute companion animal for my son. Since we got the rat dog years ago, I've said "Dogs are like wives. You should have one smart one, and one cute one." Which I'd follow up with "And if you can't have two wives, be sure you marry one that is smart and cute." The follow up is what kept me from having to sleep with the dogs.

And its kind of funny(?) This year, we realized the springer, old Trout, is 12 years old, and really feeling the Idaho winter coming in. A couple months ago, he tore his ACL and were THIS close to putting him down so the poor guy wouldn't have to suffer through winter. And the thought of just having the rat dog left for another 10-12 years had us all talking that if Trout died, we'd find a nice family that would love the fru fru like none of us ever have. Well, problem solved on that one I guess. But now, the loved family dog, Trout, is starting to figure out that Dayzee isn't around any more, even though we invited him to the doggie funeral we had Saturday afternoon. But also - for the first time in like 4-5 months, he's felt good enough to play fetch, and his ACL is doing really well, though you can tell after a game of fetch, that it is still pretty sore.

My wife has no desire to replace the fru fru, and really, no one else in the family does either. So it goes. The biggest challenge to me right now, is to keep myself from making snarky comments about my wife killing the dog. "With the money we save on dog food, I could get that new 3 weight fly rod." "Boy, without having to find a dog sitter, we should go to Yellowstone more often now." "I wonder if there is steak on sale anywhere this week?"

Dogs are great things. And so are fly rods. I only fished that 3 weight 3-4 times this year, on Big Piney Creek up out of Swan Valley, and once on Warm River. Caught a few nice little cuts in some beaver ponds on the last outing. Native fish. Un-dammed stream, and I caught them on a royal wulff, fished upstream. Sweet memories for sure. I'm getting teary eyed thinking about it.

The dog got buried in the back yard. But I think I'll get the fly rod mounted. Maybe a nice european mount I can hang in my office.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)




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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

We've had 3 shih tzu's and they were all pretty good dogs. They just don't last long. Our oldest one lasted 9 years. The last two we had I held in my arms and lap as they passed on. One of them I had to overdose with pain killers to put him away and out of his misery. They either bond with you or they don't. Our first bonded with my wife but not me, the other two were my pals.... We had all of them cremated and each of them is in their own little cedar box in my closet. The middle one of the three was my favorite, he was just a cool dude that didn't let anything or anyone bother him much. After the last one went I told the wife no more ankle biters, the next dog is going to be a hunting dog. Now if I can just find a decent lab puppy that won't put a dent in the retirement account I might spring for one.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

And before anyone suggests it, hair from a fru fru dog doesn't make good fly tying material. It just doesn't.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

Perhaps you suggest taking a few strands of hair from the dog, building a new fly rod, and as a show of respect you lay a few of those hairs over the wrapping of the eyelets then lacquer them in. Wallah, your new flyrod becomes a tribute to the dog. You look like a caring compassionate husband and get a new rod to boot! Plus you could seal a ptarmigan feather in those wrappings also and no one could ever question your fishing credibility again!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

GaryFish said:


> And before anyone suggests it, hair from a fru fru dog doesn't make good fly tying material. It just doesn't.


I just have to ask you how you know this?


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> I just have to ask you how you know this?


Several years ago I used to frequent a website that organized fly swaps. Each swap had a theme of some sort. You know, everyone tie their favorite caddis, or stone fly, that kind of thing. Well, someone had the idea for a swap called "Hair of the Dog." Some guys are pretty creative with it. Lab hair ties up a lot like deer or elk hair. Shihtzu hair can be used for dubbing, sort of. It just doesn't tie up well. Aside from saying you tied a fly with dog hair, it really isn't a good tying material.

But you know fly tiers. Pretty much everything can be used to tie flies. I've used foam from a pool noodle, hair from my wife's hair brush, christmas tree tinsel, shredded carpet, pistachio shells, and though I didn't use it, I've tied with a guy that dubbed on pubic hair from a bison scrotum for a fly. Again, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

GaryFish said:


> And before anyone suggests it, hair from a fru fru dog doesn't make good fly tying material. It just doesn't.


 I had my doubts, but am starting to think you are an awful person :mrgreen://dog//Poor little fru fru


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

GaryFish said:


> I've tied with a guy that dubbed on pubic hair from a bison scrotum for a fly.


Wait a minute, that sounds like someone I know.:shock: Was this done prior to stepping away from the fly bench and cooking a batch of bison Rocky Mountain Oysters?


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

You know, I've never tied flies with Goob. But wouldn't surprise me if he had done the same thing.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Sorry to hear about your loss(es). I am not a big fly fisherman, but after watching people fly fish the Provo River this past weekend, I think I'm going to get into it more.

To steal a line from my wife, right before I open the credit card statement; "The best type of therapy is to buy something." Here is a link to help you cope with your troubles:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/fishing-rods/fly-fishing-rods%7C/pc/104793480/c/104764680/sc/105573780/cabela-s-cgr-fiberglass-fly-rod/1873450.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffly-fishing-rods%2F_%2FN-1104841%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105573780#BVRRWidgetID

One of those 3 wt rods would be pretty cool, plus it only costs about 5-10% of what you probably paid for that little dog!;-)


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> You know, I've never tied flies with Goob. But wouldn't surprise me if he had done the same thing.


Oh boy, the stories I could tell.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

So Goob, any recipes for shihtzu?

Don't answer that.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

GaryFish said:


> So Goob, any recipes for shihtzu?
> 
> Don't answer that.


I don't know if he has any but I bet dollars to donuts the Chinese restaurant around the corner from me has a few of them. No stray dogs or cats in our part of the county......:shock:


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