William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-04-01 / 4. szám
April 1987, William Penn Life, Page 3 A doggone shame Having to make a second choice does not mean having to choose second best Molly Starlight II converses with a friend during a party celebrating the pup’s second birthday Jan. 18. By Barbara B. Botkin National Director Part III Our family’s cock-a-poo, Molly Starlight, was gone from our home forever, gone to live with Linda, the saleslady from the pet store. Linda had pledged to care for Molly until the time the pup’s crippled legs would cause her too much pain. After much deliberation with our . children, Sara and Lester, we decided that perhaps it would be best if we didn’t get another dog just like Molly. Two weeks had now gone by in which time we had made two important decisions. One was not to buy a new pup from the pet store. The other was to look for a cocker spaniel. My husband, Les, was getting busy at work, so I asked my mother to "dog shop” with me. We went to see a 2-yearold female cocker spaniel whose owner had gone back to working shifts and felt the dog was alone too much. The cocker was a nice dog but extremely shy. The owner said she was gentle with children although she wasn’t the playful type. I just wasn’t sure, however, that a demure dog was right for our lively family. The next day I suggested to my clan that maybe we should look for a toy poodle instead. A friend of mine had one that was 14 years old, and the dog still acted like a playful puppy. Also, poodles don’t shed which was great because my husband and son have allergies. At this point, the children wanted a dog, period. I decided to scan the want ads for toy poodles. Three poodle pups caught my eye. I telephoned the owner to tell her we were on our way to see her puppies. Les and I drove with the children for an hour to see the pups. It was a cold, blustery, rainy day in March. We were not prepared for what we were to encounter at our destination. The woman owner brought the puppies into her house from an outside dogshed. The pups were all sick and shivering. One became very ill while we were there and the woman picked up the sick, limp pup and thrusted her into a dirty cage. We were horrified and commented on the unhealthy condition of the pups. The woman gruffly replied that she had no intention of selling us sick dogs and that we could just leave. The first thing I said when we stepped outside was that 1 was going to call the Humane Society as soon as I got home. Toy poodles are not the kind of dogs you keep outside, let alone new puppies in the winter time. We headed for home feeling heartsick for the pups and disappointed once again that we were still without a dog. 1 found it to be a good time to discuss with the children the fact that some people are miserably neglectful in caring for their pets as well as their children. When we returned home, I did indeed call the Humane Society about those poor little puppies. I didn’t sleep well that night wondering what their fate would be. However, that restless night was to bring a very happy morning. I called another woman who had also advertised poodle pups in the paper; two apricot females and one red male. The lady owner sounded so nice on the phone and said her puppies were beautiful and healthy. She said someone else was coming to see the pups also. This time my mother and I traveled for more than an hour to see the pups. The owner greeted us with a cheerful hello and hurried us into her home anxious for us to see her "precious babies,” as she called them. The two little orange fuzzballs in the cage were jumping up and squealing as-it to say, "pick me, pick me.” Their brother, a red poodle, had just been sold. The flamboyant owner took one of the 7-week-old pups from the cage and put her on the carpet. The pup was only about six inches long. She spun around and around furiously wagging her tail. I adored her. Mom was crazy about her, too. The owner showed us her papers and assured us that if after we had the pup checked by a vet, that if any health problems turned up, we could return her. But she said the pup had been to the vet twice and was in perfect health. I asked her to hold the pup until night time so my husband could look at her first. Mom and I raced home and I called Les right away to tell him the exciting news. That night at dinner, we couldn’t talk about anything else but our almost new puppy. It was 9:00 p.m. before Les could get away to get the pup. I put the children in bed promising to awaken them when their dad returned home with our puppy. But they never did fall asleep. It was almost midnight when we heard the garage door go up. The children literally flew out of their beds to greet our new poodle. Les said she had slept all the way home in his lap. He placed her on the carpet and she spun around It was a happy ending for Lester, Sara and Molly Starlight II. and around barking and wagging her tail. Then she rolled onto her back at the children’s feet implying that she needed her stomach tickled. "She’s like a circus dog, Mommy!” Sara screeched. "She definitely will fit into our family with that lively personality,” I gleamed. And she has. We named her Molly Starlight II. And the novelty that comes with a new pet has never worn off because she’s the most affectionate, playful dog you ever saw. She knows what time the children come home from school and waits by the door for me to let her out so she can run and greet them. She’s ready to play anytime and has an assortment of stuffed animals and squeak toys that she tosses herself and then chases. She is truly one-half pounds of joy. Les always says that even when no one else rushes to greet him when he comes home, his dog does. Molly was 2 years old on January 18 and we celebrated with a birthday party. Lester came home from school with 23 birthday cards for Molly that his classmates had made. Sara made up lots of games for the dogs to play. One was dangling biscuits from a string and having the dogs jump for them. Molly’s boyfriend, Hubble, a cock-apoo from next door, came over with his family. My best friend came with her children and new dalmation pup named Biskett. The dogs all wore silly party hats and had a great time chewing on rawhide toys. This was one time the dogs ate better than the humans. The dogs ate burgers and the humans ate hot dogs and beans. Do you think we love our dog folks? Indeed we do! The End. Golf Tournament details set By Barbara B. Botkin National Director PITTSBURGH — Get those golf clubs out and start practicing! The Fourth Annual William Penn Association National Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, July 11, in Monroe, Mich. The tournament will be played at the Raisin River Golf Course in Monroe. Accomodations will be at the Presidential Inn in nearby Southgate. Golfers, their spouses and friends are encouraged to enjoy a fine dinner at their leisure on Friday, July 10, at the William Penn Club in Southgate. Tournament Co-administrators Les and Barbara Botkin have announced that some changes in the tournament’s format are planned for this year’s event. The Calloway system of handicapping will be used this year but with some alterations. Also, entrants may choose to play in a regular handicapped event instead of the Calloway. Those golfers must present a card with verification of handicap when they send in their entry forms. Skill shot prizes for senior golfers age 55 and older have been added to the tournament. As in previous tournaments, there will be a women’s division. Entry fees will be $30 for William Penn members and $35 for non-members. Watch for more details in the next issue of the William Penn Life. ATTENTION! DANCE GROUPS! DO YOU HAVE A HUNGARIAN DANCE GROUP IN YOUR AREA? If so, write and tell us about them. We are looking for leaders of Hungarian dance groups in all parts of the country in order to contact them for dance workshops, special summer programs and information concerning upcoming national and regional events, such asthePontozo which will be held in Pittsburgh this June. Send your dance groups's name, the name and address of your contact person, and other information about your group to: Elizabeth Szabó c/o Hungarian Dance Groups 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, Pa. 15233
