i was just 4 when we moved out of Buffalo to a rural area about 20 miles from the city line....at the time we had a cocker spaniel.....which a few months later lost an argument with a dump truck...and a few weeks later i met "Big Skippy"....now you need to remember i wasn't 5 yet...and i remember that mixed breed as coming up to my shoulder,  we lived on 2.5 acre lot...with farm land behind....mom never worried where i was....because she knew the dog was always with me.....my mom claimed to be 5' tall.......[ the mad one shakes his head ] but she had a voice that carried...."Buddy dinner"...and if i was a ways off, i'd throw an arm over Big Skippy's neck, throw a leg over his back and he'd take me home....that crazy hound had two major faults
a] he never learned not to play with skunks..
b] if there was a female dog in heat within a couple of miles......