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Peaches Great Escape
Note: Our dog Peaches passed away peacefully in September. We honor her memory with one of my favorite stories.
Some of you may be new to this publication, but Peaches, our white English Golden Retriever, is certainly not. Indeed, she gets substantially more fan mail than I do. So, for all of you who need your Peaches “fix,” an update is in order. You may remember from previous articles that our six- year-old beast dances to a different drummer. As a puppy, she refused liver treats, attacked us from behind, and dug up concrete fence posts. Her rough play and 75-pound strength precipitated my first ever trip to an osteopath. She has required the services of a trainer, a psychologist, and attended a two-week attitude adjustment camp in San Antonio. After a consult, Patty and I were advised to change her name from the original
Lily to Peaches. It seems that early
on, we only used the name Lily
in conjunction with “dammit” or
“sh@@” and Lily decided to totally
ignore both her name and us. We
trashed her personalized collar and
hand painted food bowl and began
life anew with Peaches.
That idea hasn’t worked so well.
In the big city, she is constantly
on a leash ever mindful of taunting
squirrels, other dogs, butterf lies,
you name it. In Peaches’ world there
are no boundaries. If you let her go,
you might not see her for a while.
But on a ski trip to Crested Butte, we let our guard down. For three days, she romped in knee deep powder constantly running 50 yards ahead of us always alert to our exact position, and usually just out of our reach. This was the life she dreamed of.
One small problem, however. When we returned to the FBO, she forgot where she was.
The instant Patty opened the car door, Peaches decided she was still on the mountain top. Leash and all, she bolted for open space. The runway! Patty was horrified and pissed at the same time. Peaches calmly sat at the edge of the taxiway and watched as a turbine Bonanza taxied by. Not so calmly, Patty turned to me and asked if the AIRPLANE would be damaged if Peaches ran into it! Jumping on the tug, Patty rode side saddle with the lineman as they coaxed our mutt back onto the rescue vehicle and to safety.
Peaches was so ashamed! She cowered back into our Mustang and covered her face. Thinking she had learned
On Final
by David Miller
32 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2024
her lesson, I continued with my pre- flight. Until I glanced over my shoulder to see a white flash making a beeline towards the FBO. Now, with four people chasing her, she flew up the steps and into the waiting area where she promptly squatted and peed on their brand-new carpet. The carpet that they replaced from her previous accident in the same location.
Shortly after Christmas, we received this note from the general manager of
Gunnison Valley Aviation.
Dear David and Patty:
“Thank you so much for your generous holiday gift to me and the crew. We so enjoy working with you and seeing you often. We love Peaches too.
Maybe someday she’ll be allowed back in the building.”
Fly safe. Peaches is in dog heaven, looking over you.
David Miller has owned and flown a variety of aircraft from light twins to midsize jets for more than 50 years. With 6,000 plus hours in his logbook, speaks nationally and writes on a variety of aviation safety topics. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.