Button: Button was an all-black kitten with a white spot (button) on his throat. I got him on my 4th or 5th birthday. All mine, but not for long…One day Button was sleeping under a tire of my mother’s car when she started the car & backed over him. I was crushed as well, beyond measure, and still feel the pain after 85+ years…
Rhett Butler: fox terrier; nice family pet and with us for many years. He was my mother’s dog. I did not have a close relationship. Rhett had the run of 87 W. Wesley and died while I was at McCallie.
Butch: beautiful collie who adopted us for a few years. Sweet, huggable. Left as he arrived- mysteriously.
Sally’s family liked cats, so we had several over the years. I cannot remember their names but Steve probably does. No dogs.
Stanley: Stanley was a beautiful Golden Retriever who lived near us on Huckleberry Lane in Weston. He roamed all over Weston & Westport and everyone knew him. He liked our big front yard and used to come over frequently to visit and play with me and the boys. He loved swimming in the Saugatuck River next to our house. One very cold winter morning, Stanley came over and I - without thought - threw a stick into part of the river which had not frozen. Stanley crashed onto and through the ice to retrieve that stick. He got out and shook off. Ice formed on his hairs which he ignored. He was no worse for the wear. A great dog.
Trish had cats: Trooper, Chin Chin McCavity, But Trish wanted a dog. She purchased a bearded collie named Rosie who proved untrainable. Rosie bit me twice on the hand.
She was big disappointment to Trish. Given to neighbor who thought he could train her & later gave her back to breeder. No more dogs until we moved to Inverness.
Bubba: Then Bubba came into our lives. In spite of the debacle with Rosy, Trish still wanted a dog. She bought a local yellow lab pup but before we took delivery, something wonderful happened. Peggy Berry, our next door neighbor, had bought another yellow Lab pup for her husband Tim who had early dementia. Tim could not deal with the new puppy while Peggy was at work so Peggy was desperate. She brought him over to see if Trish might take him. Trish immediately said yes and the owner of the other puppy returned our money. We kept Peggy’s pup and named him “Bubba” (my childhood name). Bubba grew into a fabulous companion for us both. Several times a week, I would walk him to the gym in Point Reyes Station, about 1 mile. After my workout we would go to the Bovine Bakery for a sticky bun & coffee. We sat in front of the Bovine and engaged all who came along. As a result, many around the area grew to know and love Bubba. During one of our walks, I was told that Bubba had to be on a leash. I responded that Bubba WAS on a leash, a psychic leash, which was far more effective.
After painting the side of my vegetable garden, Trish, Peggy and others had a little celebration. The next morning, Bubba could not get up off of the floor of the mud room where he slept. He was breathing but inert. I got him into the car and to our local vet who recommended that I take him to the Vet Clinic at UC Davis. My friend Will Wilson went with us. Bubba had to be hauled into the clinic in a wagon. While at lunch, I got a call from Trish who reported that Peggy had brought a bag of pot-laced cookies to the party and that all had been eaten…We returned to the Clinic an owned up. They were not surprised and said it happened often. We took Bubba home and he was fine the next day.
Bubba was a faithful and sweet pet right up until his death. We awoke the morning of Nov. 7, 2010 and found Bubba lying in the mud room. He could not get up. We knew that this was the end. It was a Sunday and I called Mary Whitney, our local vet. She was fabulous and came right over. She gave Bubba a shot after Trish and I said our good-byes. It was a sad, sad day. I found Sergio and he came and got Bubba back behind my vegetable garden where we buried him. Friend Mike McCloskey found a nice stone and built a lovely marker. I will never forget taking the new owner of 1 Balboa back to that area and telling him that I would move Bubba if he wished. His response: “Bubba stays”. I wept.
Dudley: Trish made it very clear that she was not going to get another dog for at least 3 months. We were to go to the Los Angeles area for Christmas with Steve and Agnes. Before we left, however, Trish was researching Labradoodles - she wanted a smaller dog that did not shed and had heard good reports about Labradoodles. She found two, one near Bakersfield and one in Indian Wells. We were not impressed with the first dog but fell in love with the litter in Indian Wells. We brought little 8 week old Dudley back to Steve’s 6 weeks after Bubba’s death..
How the pup got the name is interesting. Trish wanted to name Bubba “Dudley” after the the owner of 1 Balboa, Don Dudley. She felt that she needed Don’s permission but when she called he was in Europe so Bubba became Bubba. Dudley, as a name for our pet, was still unused and available. So Dudley got named Dudley on the spot. He loves his name as do we.
Dudley has been a wonderful pet. He moved with us to Carlsbad and is still our lovable companion at Wesley Palms. Recently, he became something of a hero here. We see coyotes from time to time on the grounds but are not concerned because Dudley is about coyote-size. But most pet owners here have dogs that weigh 10-20 pounds. One day Trish was walking Dudley near our little dog park; he saw a coyote and took off after it - Trish droppnd - we don’t know - he came back several minutes later and other dog owners declared Dudley a hero!
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