This morning on our daily walk, Ken Cannon asked me which dog of all the dogs I've owned has been my favorite. He asked me this, I'm sure, because I am always asking him questions involving favorites. Favorite city. Favorite movie. Favorite vacation. So I suppose he thought turnabout was fair play.
I think he was surprised that I couldn't answer, though. I told him that it was like asking me who my favorite kid is (although I do have favorites--it's just that my favorites change on a daily basis so I pretty much rotate through all five of those kids on a regular basis).
Here's what surprised me--that the question afforded me thinking pleasure that lasted all day. How nice to remember all the dogs that have kept me company, starting with . . .
1. Priney--a boxer who was my first friend. TRQ used to put us out in the yard together. People did that with kids in the 1950s and guess what? IT WAS AWESOME.
2. Thor--a Norwegian Elkhound who went crazy with joy whenever the first snow fell.
3. Gigi--a French Poodle who had the same name as my friend Gigi Ballif who was always startled when TRQ yelled at "her" to get off the couch.
4. Cricket--a Yorkshire Terrier who (okay) I wasn't so crazy about. TRQ carried Cricket around in her bathrobe pocket when she was a puppy so our cat wouldn't eat her.
5. Brutus--a Boston Terrier who peed all over the Coach's boss during a dinner party once. My brothers and I thought this was hysterical.
6. Gretchen--a cocker spaniel who was the Cannon's first family dog. She ended up living with my grandfather when we were in Finland, and he wouldn't give her back when we returned.
7. Irene Adler--a red English cocker with an enormous nose and a queen complex.
8. Bogie--a black and tan cocker who ate part of a light bulb and got his nose stuck in our disposal once. He was amazingly nimble in spite of his impressie girth. He was like a dog John Belushi.
9. Basil--a black English cocker who was Irene's son. He was born on top of Ken Cannon's shoes on the floor of Ken Cannon's closet.
10. Aggie--a liver-colored field spaniel who was the best thing that happened to Dylan the spring he graduated from high school. She vastly preferred men to women, which meant I was SOL in this house.
11. Zora--a bronze newfie who has oddly dainty mannerisms in spite of the fact that she weighs 200 pounds.
12. Holmes--a Cav who has a part of his ear missing. He's the best company ever. He's been on a diet for months now and weighs more than he did before we started.
Oh, dogs. You are the best.
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5 comments:
God made dogs and spelled his own name backwards. I'd like to see a column on how they got their names, particularly Irene Adler.
What an excellent way to retrace your life. An autobiDOGraphy. As it were.
Loved this blog on your dogs. I once had a client that said she slept in chapters. This blog was a glimpse of life in cockers, hounds, poodles and so forth. I enjoyed reading.
I love these names, some of which I had never heard. But that long string of cockers-- I love that.
AS someone terrified of dogs, I have always loved the dogs in your home. Your dogs seem to take on the personality of the people living at your home :) I loved thinking back on all the dogs that I have known that you have owned. I so remember when your dog ate the lightbulb and how loving all your cocker spaniels have been. Well, really all of your dogs have been loving and well behaved.
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