Francis Albert Friday!

No, this is NOT Frank and Audrey! I found this picture while thinking about today's story and looking for an appropriate picture to go with it. I couldn't resist since this looks so much like both of them!! Sadly, this would NEVER have happened! Today's story IS about a cat but it's not Audrey. As you know, Frank was always on the lookout for cats. I happened to miss this episode but Joe explained it so vividly and we still laugh about it today.

Joe was walking Frank one day when he suddenly darted after a cat he saw. They were walking alongside a house that had a big hedge all they way around it. The cat disappeared into the hedge. Frank shoved his whole body into the hedge. All you could see was his butt sticking out! Suddenly the cat fell out of the top of the hedge, landed on Frank's head and rolled down his back!! Every cell in Frank's body reacted! All the hairs on his neck and back stood to attention. He barked. He cried. He jerked himself around and before he knew it, the cat was off running again. SO CLOSE! And yet so far.........

He never forgot that he saw the cat in that hedge. Every time we walked him and would approach that house he would run ahead and sniff all around looking for the cat. We never saw it again.

Francis Albert Friday!

There is one other thing that would always get Frank going "THE FLY". Frank would always chase flys. He would open his big mouth and snap his jaws like a T-Rex trying to catch flies. Whenever he would hear a fly buzzing by the sliding door he would run like mad barking and snapping the jaws. If we just whispered "Frank, the fly????" he would go nuts. Sometimes I would try to get his attention and test him with all the key words "Frank....the fish....the blimp.....sister......THE FLY????" and he would always lose it with the fly.

I know most dogs and cats chase flys. Why do you think that is? Is is the annoying buzzing? How could something so tiny seem like such a threat???

Francis Albert Friday!

When Kevin brought Ginger home he told us that her mother and father, who were owned by the breeder, were both award winning show dogs. Part of his agreement with them in taking Ginger was that he would show her. He agreed.

One day they called him and told him about a dog show that was coming up. He got so excited. One Saturday Joe, Kevin, Frank, Ginger and I got in the car and drove about an hour away to a park where the dog show was to take place.

Frank was visibly nervous on the drive there. The minute we pulled into the parking lot and he saw all these other dogs he started to get even more nervous. What did he think? That we were going to leave him there? That we didn't want him any more now that we had brougth home his sister?

Kevin took Ginger and off they went to learn how to properly 'show' the dog in the ring. I stayed with Joe and Frank. Frank clung to Joe. He was so aggitated. He was barking like crazy at all the other dogs. There were dogs on leases, there were dogs in little made up pens with wire fencing around them. We barely made it into the park when all of a sudden Frank lifted up his leg and pee'd all over Joe's leg. We couldn't believe it! He was marking Joe! He wanted to show all the other dogs that Joe was HIS!

We went to find a bathroom. It was way on the other end of the park. Joe took Frank into the bathroom with him and took off his jeans and rinsed them off in the sink. Out they came with Joe's wet pant leg. Frank behaved so badly that we had to spend the entire show sitting at the other end of the park so Ginger could have her moment without her brother embarrasing her.

Ginger won two first places that day. Best in her breed and best in show. Frank won an award too - Bad Doberman in Show.

Francis Albert Friday!

Joe wanted me to share this story with you today. We were remembering another nickname we had for Frank. Houdini.

Frank earned the Houdini nickname one weekend while at the beach house. Frank was about 100 pounds of pure muscle and he was hard to control when he saw a motorcycle, squirrel or cat so Joe always used a harness and a choke chain on him when he walked him. He would then attach the choke chain and the harness together with the leash for maximum control.

Frank was always on cat patrol since every house at the beach seemed to have a cat. Joe was minding his own business walking Frank one morning when a cat appeared in front of them. Frank froze. He did the mouth up and down thing. The ears touched. The tongue was hanging out to the side. The cat stared back. Staring contest ensued. Finally the cat took a step towards Frank, taunting him. Suddenly the cat darted.

Before Joe knew what happened Frank had shimmied sideways under a car and contorted his whole body and suddenly came out of his choke chain, harness and leash contraption. Joe was left standing there holding the leash and empty harness while Frank chased the wild cat.

We never figured out how he managed to do that. It was literally in the blink of an eye. All that pent up longing of wanting to catch a cat exploded at that moment. One thing we're sure of is that he definitely broke Houdini's record!

Francis Albert Friday!

One of our favorite Frank nicknames was Mr. Fourth of July. This all started about three years ago when Joe and Darren were spending summer weekends at their beach house. On the Fourth of July we would gather at the house, barbeque and watch the fireworks over the bay. We had a perfect view from the house.

We didn't think anything of it the first year until the moment the fireworks started. Frank immediately climbed into Joe's lap and curled into a little ball all the while shaking and wimpering like a baby. He did NOT like the fireworks. We couldn't believe it had such an effect on him. You know.....this big, butch Doberman! The cat terrorizer of the neighborhood! His sister, Ginger's, BIG brother! The protector and leader of the pack! Ginger was hopping about happy as could be and Frank was having a nervous breakdown.

The next year we went back, not really thinking much of it and we noticed that he was visibly shaken at the beginning of the evening. Somehow his sixth sense kicked in and he knew what was coming. He could probably smell those firework fumes way out yonder. He started to cling to Joe and became increasingly nervous when everyone gathered out on the deck to watch the show begin. Joe and I stayed inside holding him and talking to him and trying to calm him down while he went right back into panic mode the minute the show started. We couldn't help laughing at him. It was so funny and sad all at the same time.

This year was Frank's last Fourth of July at the beach. We were a little better prepared since we knew that he would anticipate that this was the weekend he dreaded. He was shaking in the car on the drive down. He knew. This time, a while before the show started Joe took both dogs into the bathroom and laid on the floor with them watching TV. I tried to watch the show but I was so worried wondering what Frank was doing. He was so happy when it was over.

So that's how he earned the nickname Mr. Fourth of July. Whenever he would act like a tough guy on the walk or around other dogs, Joe and I would always say "Yeah, Mr. Fourth of July. If only they could see you then."

Francis Albert Friday!

Now that I think about it, it seems that there are a lot of things that Frank had issue with. Fed Ex, UPS, cats, squirrels, the blimp, the fish.......Well.....all I can say is that he just knew what he liked and what he didn't like. While we are on the subject of what he didn't like, let's talk about another one that makes the top ten list.

The motorcycle.

We don't know why or how it started but we noticed early on in his puppyhood that anytime a motorcycle would pass us as we were walking Frank would go crazy. Barking......circles.....silent barking. Joe would be walking and talking on the phone and a motorcycle would race by without him noticing and Frank would practically pull him into the street as he lunged to try to chase it.

Later we developed a system, especially on the busy streets, where I would keep watch and warn of oncoming assaults. It almost became like a sixth sense. The hairs on the back of my neck would go up if I heard anything that remotely sounded like a motorcycle. If I saw Frank flip his head around I was on guard. Sometimes a pack of them would race by and Joe would stop and sit on Frank to hold him down. The worst was if we had him in the car and one would pull up next to us at a light. Talk about deafening. It was like we had the tazmanian devil in our car.

Somewhere in there he also developed a thing for certain bicycles. That was very unpredictable because it wasn't all of them but every now and again if someone on a bicycle passed us on the walk he would lunge. A few times we didn't see it coming and he actually knocked a couple people off their bikes. Don't know if it was the bike, the person or a combination of the two. Later we learned to always hold him tight if a bike was approaching cause we just never knew.

There were certainly plenty of embarrassing moments on street corners with this out of control Doberman lunging at motorcycles and his owner trying to hold him back. People would point, some would laugh, some would just stare not knowing what to think.

We never got the chance to understand why he had such a reaction to motorcyles but to this day we all still cringe when we hear or see one go by. The other day Joe, Darren and I took our Sunday morning stroll and a whole pack of motorcyles whizzed by us. We all just looked at each other and laughed and decided that it was a fitting tribute to Frank.

Francis Albert Friday!

Frank had a thing about the Goodyear blimp. There's a really good view of the city and the ocean from Joe & Darren's house. You can even watch the planes coming in for a landing and taking off. Frank could survey the world from that house.

Every couple of months the blimp would appear in the horizon and Frank would go crazy. He would run back and forth from the bedroom to the living room barking at it. It could be way the heck out there but he would see it and go crazy. We could say "Frank....the blimp??" and he would go nuts.

We never knew what made him do that. Did he think it was a big bird? He also had a thing for crows and they would taunt him as they flew precariously close to the sliding doors all around the house. Maybe he thought the blimp was the mothership of the crows? Who knows......

The other day I was at the house and there was the Goodyear blimp....way out there. I had that adrenaline rush kick in as I cringed waiting for Frank to go crazy. That didn't happen. Wanda, Joe and I watched the blimp in silence and we all missed Frank.

Francis Albert Friday!

Joe and I were remembering how much Frank disliked extreme temperatures. He did not like the cold but he really, really didn't like the heat.

One time we took him for a hike in an area very popular for its myriad of trails and the reward of a beautiful view of the city once you reach the top. You could let your dogs off leash and let them roam freely along the hike.

We thought Frank would love that. Well, we went on a warm summer day and boy, did he hate it! Once we got on our chosen trail it got really warm. There was no grass. Just dirt and tumbleweeds! There were no trees for shade. Frank kept going ahead of us and looking for somewhere cool to rest. On a regular walk he would always lay in the cool grass that had just been watered or even lay in standing water in the gutter. There was none of that at this place. Every now and then we would find him up ahead taking shelter behind a big tumbleweed. He looked so upset. And he wouldn't look at his. He was clearly really mad that we brought him there.

When we finished and got back down to the car, he dove in and was so ready to go home. We always joked later when he would misbehave that we would take him back to that place. We always thought we should drive up there with him in the car just to see what he does. The emotion on his face that day was priceless. Of course, we couldn't really do that to him and we never, ever took him back there.

Francis Albert Friday!

Frank wasn't just Frank. Nor was he just Francis Albert. We had several nicknames for Frank. Isn't it funny how you always manage to do that with your pets? Here are a few:

Scooby Doo
Mr. P.P.
P.P. Lover
Mr. 4th of July
The Boy
Cute Boy
PP Boy
The Heart
Heart Lover
Sugar Heart
Pappi (Wanda's name for him)
Fransisco Alberto (Wanda's name for him)
Francis Alouicious (Greg's name for him)
Frankie
Mr. Watanabe
Fat F*ck Frank
The Mustang

Then there's a sound that Joe used to make that I don't know how to spell. Simple, fast little sound. That was Frank's sound. And he had a song too. More on that in a later post.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few but these were the main ones that his family used all the time. He knew them all and would proudly answer to any of them.

Frances Albert Friday!

I was with Joe and Darren yesterday and we met another Doberman owner. It's amazing when you share stories. It sounds like you are talking about the same dog. Doberman traits are pretty standard. Joe told her a funny story that I had forgotten about so I thought I'd share it with you here today.

As you know, Frank came from a Doberman rescue. When he was just a puppy Joe had to go out of town. He wanted to leave him in a kennel so that Frank would learn to socialize with other dogs but also so that he would learn that Joe would always come back for him so he didn't need to be worried about being left or given away. The kennel was a fun place where all the dogs stayed behind a white picket fence and played together. We thought he would have a blast.

Poor Frank. He lost 11 pounds while he was there. When Joe came to pick him up Frank looked up and saw him, came running and leaped over all of the dogs, over the picket fence and into Joe's arms. Joe never took him there again.........

Frances Albert Friday!

Frank on cat patrol

Frank had a thing about cats. He looked for them everywhere. He never forgot where he saw a cat. Every time we'd walk him and come across a cat he would stop. Frozen. The mouth would do this slow up and down movement. His breath would appear to stop. The legs would implant firmly into the ground but then tremble. His ears would stand up straight and then the tips would touch. They would have the staring contest. Eventually one of them would make a move and all hell would break loose. Some cats ran away in fear, many taunted him. He never forgot where he had a run in with a cat and always would run back to that spot to see if it was there.

Joe and Darren had a beach house with a big deck. Cats lived in the houses on either side. Every time they were there for the weekend Frank would spend the whole time out on the deck going back and forth from one side to the other doing his cat patrol. Then he would go for his long walks and it seemed like every house or apartment building had a cat. He was always on alert.

Frank spent his last three days on this earth doing what he loved. He was at this beach house with his family doing cat patrol.

Frances Albert Friday!

So many of Joe & Darren's female friends and family have stayed at their house over the years. Everyone always said the same thing about Frank. They always felt safe. Like he was watching over them. Frank loved company. He was so happy when people were in his house. He always stayed close to daddy but would make sure to make the rounds and check on everybody.

I used to stay at the house when Joe and Darren would take trips. I always felt so safe there alone at night with Frank. He was always by my side. I would pull his bed next to me to watch tv and he was always right there. The best was when we would go to sleep. He would jump up in the bed next to me and position himself like a person with his head on the pillow. He would then promptly take over more than his side of the bed. He would snore, dream, kick and fart all night long. I would wake up and he'd be practically pushing me off the bed. But then I'd reposition him, we'd end up spooning together and he would let out a big content grunt and go back to sleep.

In the morning he would wake up, stretch those long legs, let out a loud squeak of a yawn, jump off the bed, shake himself off and then do his happy dance while he waited for me to take him to the kitchen for his good morning treat. As we walked down the hall he always nipped at my hand with his mouth. Those were special times.

Frances Albert Friday!

I was missing Frank this morning. Joe called last night and said 'why don't we take Ginger and Edie for a walk in the morning?'. Good idea! So this morning I put Edie in the car and made my way over. As I turned on Joe's street I caught myself slowing down like I always did just in case Wanda was out with Frank and Ginger doing the 'emergency pee-pee good morning' before our long walk. Then I realized I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

When I pulled up in front of the house I set the alarm on my car and waited to hear Frank barking. He knew the sound of my car alarm and would always start barking the minute he heard me set it. Then he would be waiting for me inside and would body slam me in delight then grab my hand with his mouth and lead me to the kitchen for treats. None of that happened today either.

Every inch of the walk is a reminder of Frank and something funny that he did. Then there are all the 'oh, can you imagine if he was here right now' moments. We ran into a really cute boxer and told his owner how cute he and Frank would have played together. We ran into the FedEx guy and he was so upset to hear that Frank was gone.

We cut our walk short today. Ginger was dragging.....and it just wasn't the same without our pack leader, Frank.

You Have to Hear it to Believe It.....

Remember I mentioned that Audrey and Frank used to talk on the phone? Here is a voice mail message of one of their conversations that I had saved.......

Anyone care to translate???!

Frances Albert Friday!

Did you know that Dobermans are ranked in the top 5 of the smartest dogs?

Frank was so super smart. He never forgot a thing. He had a photographic memory. When he was a puppy Joe and I took him for his usual neighborhood walk one day. Joe always used one of those retractable leashes. We were walking along talking and Frank was behind us. The leash kept going and going and suddenly jerked us to a stop. We turned around to see where Frank was. He was frozen. Stuck. Not moving. He had stopped in front of a dirt lot with a chain link fence around it. We called his name. He wouldn't look at us. He wouldn't move. He was frozen like a statue, intensely fixated on something that was on the ground on the other side of the fence. We quietly approached and there on the other side of the fence was a baby deer. Curled up sleeping on the ground. We assumed that it must have been separated from it's mother. Frank and the deer were having a staring contest. Neither one of them would move or make a sound. It didn't even look like Frank was breathing. We decided that the deer seemed fine and if it was still there when we came back we would try to help. We pulled Frank away. Barking, circles, silent barking.... Oh, it was torture. He did not want to leave the baby deer. We finished our walk and about an hour later when we came back that way he went running to look, pulling us ahead and when we got there the deer was gone.

Frank NEVER forgot that he saw that deer there. Every time we walked past he would run ahead and stop and look for the deer and then look at us all confused. Even when we drove by in the car he would lunge towards that side of the street and bark as we drove past. Years went by and he never forgot about his friend, the baby deer.

Frank was always so busy protecting everybody. That was his job. I think he felt bad that he didn't help the baby deer and it went away.

Frances Albert Friday!

This is the first post in my new series - Frances Albert Friday!

Frank has been in my life since he was 6 months old. There are so many stories and memories. He was such a character and such a sweet, sweet boy. I hope that through this series you will learn to love him as much as we all did.

I'm going to start at the beginning when Kevin rescued Frank from Doberman Rescue. Little known fact......Frank's name, as originally given by Kevin, was Jon! Joe wasn't so sure about that. Any Doberman of his needed a special name.......a namesake! Frances Albert Sinatra would do! Didn't hurt that Frank Sinatra happens to be one of Joe's favorite singers ever.

So Kevin and I took Frank to a groomer so he could get all gussied up. We reluctantly left him there as he was already bonded to Kevin and did not want Kevin to leave without him. He got that really worried look on his face and started barking as we left. I'm sure he must have thought we were never coming back. We went off to run some errands and returned a couple of hours later. The groomer was part pet store with a grooming facility in the back. The door into the grooming facility was one of those barn-like doors that is split so you can open the top part and leave the bottom part shut. As soon as we walked in and Frank heard Kevin's voice he went crazy and started barking. That must have been the happiest moment in his life up to that point. We were walking back to the groomer when all of a sudden Frank came flying over the open barn door and practically knocked Kevin down! He looked like a horse in one of those competitions when they gracefully jump over the hurdles. Kevin and I couldn't stop laughing. The guy that ran the pet store/groomer couldn't believe it either.

We knew at that moment that this was a very special little boy.......

Rest in Peace Dear Frank

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is one week since Frank left us. Joe and Darren wanted me to thank all of you for the kinds words and support.

In memory of Frank I have created 'Frances Albert Friday'. I will post a story about Frank every Friday. Grey Gardens Friday will now become Grey Gardens Sunday!

I will resume regular posting tomorrow. Please stay tuned for a loving video tribute to Frank that is currently in the works......

More on Frank.....

Here are some video outtakes of Frank with his sister Ginger....

Remembering Frank

Our friend, Brad, wrote this to remember Frank.....

He was a Doberman
He was the most special boy ever
He loved to chase squirrels and cats
He loved to bark at fish
He loved his family and friends
He loved his sister Ginger (even when she was being a bitch to him)
He loved snacks between meals (which always endeared him to me)
He hated motorcycles
He hated mean people
He was full of love and led a full and happy life, because
He had the best papa ever
He will be missed, and
He will always have a special place in our hearts.
He was a Doberman.

These are all things that I know to be true of Frank.

Did I mention that he had the cutest little stub?

In Memory.....

Kevin & Frank

Two beautiful souls that were part of my everyday life and that I loved very much are both gone now. It's hard to believe that Kevin left us three years ago and his beautiful doberman, Frank, who he rescued at 6 months old left us today. Frank was 8 years old. My thoughts are with Joe, Darren, Ginger and Frank's nanny Wanda. This is a very deep and profound loss for all of us.

I will not be posting for the rest of this week to honor Frank's memory. I love you Frank.......