Village Squire, 1980-10, Page 31SIX ACHERS
Yvonne Reynolds and her husband, a
retired Canadian Armed Forces officer,
settled in rural Huron County six years ago.
The antics of one dog [daughter of an
immoral Sheltie],one house cat [Himalayan
aristocat], one barn cat [don't ask] and a
fluctuating number of chickens and goats
keep her supplied with more than enough
material for a regular monthly column.
The dog learned
at home
1 am sure you have deduced by now
that my husband and I are very fond of
animals. For many years we contented
ourselves with cats. That's like starting at
the top! Sharing your home with a cat
equips you to cope with any other kind of
pet - from alligator to zebra - with the
greatest of ease. We became first-time
dog owners when our sons were old
enough to care for a puppy, and young
enough to want to.
We obtained Kerry through an ad in
the paper. She was the unwanted
offspring of a purebred Skye terrier who
couldn't say no. (Perhaps we have missed
our true vocation in life. and should be
running a home for wayward dogs.) Our
little white ragmop was housebroken
almost at once, destroyed absolutely
nothing while losing her baby teeth.
loved us with all her heart, and was loved
in return.
However, dogs. especially city dogs,
should be taught proper behaviour. An
instantly obeyed command to sit or stay
could save the animal's life. No one
appreciates an unruly pet that leaves paw
prints on your shoulders, takes you for a
walk, or beats you in a race Tor your
favourite chair. Marmaduke is amusing
in the comics, but can you imagine living
with him? Kerry would have obedience
training.
As my sister-in-law's Sheltie was a
recent obedience school graduate. we
benefited by her experience. We were
regaled with stories of teaching sessions
held in the basement of a stately Ottawa
church, where a chihuahua came in a
Cadillac, and a St. Bernard arrived in a
Volkswagen. We borrowed the Bytown
Dog Obedience Handbook and sat down
to read the rules and regulations.
Rule one emphasized that no female in
heat was allowed on the premises. That
was logical and understandable. We
nodded in agreement with everything
until we came to rule six. If for some
catastrophic reason the dog could not
attend one of the classes, and the owner
showed up in its place, the dog would be
marked "present". That did it. Our dog
would learn at home. By correspondence
if necessary.
ANXIOUS TO PLEASE
Kerry was so anxious to please that she
could soon sit. stay. come or lie down on
command. 1 used half a pound of
hamburg to teach her to sit up, and
another half pound to get her to "shake a
paw". She was a pleasure to have
around.
When Kerry was eight years old, she
contracted diabetes. (That is another
story.) We thought that would be the end
of our little pet, but our veterinarian
assured me that 1 could easily learn to
administer insulin. 1 tried once by myself.
The results were appalling. From then
on, I held the dog each day while our son
Colin, with the skill of a professional,
injected Kerry with her daily dose of
liquid life. He was so fast that she
wouldn't cry out until five minutes after
everything was all over.
Keeping diabetes under control in-
volves a delicate balance between food
intake and insulin dosage. The urine had
to be tested frequently; that was the easy
part. Getting a sample was more difficult.
I had to tell all our neighbours in Ottawa
why 1 was chasing a fluffy little white dog
around our yard, shoving a tin foil pie
plate under her each time she squatted.
thus galvanizing her into further frantic
activity until finally she could hold out no
longer and my mission was ac-
complished.
I looked forward with wicked anticipa-
tion to replenishing the insulin supply. 1
would go to the drug counter of a Targe
department store (not always the same
one) and ask for a box of 10 c.c.
disposable syringes and a bottle of NPH
40 insulin.
The druggist would fill my order, then
ask if I wanted an official receipt for
OHIP. I was waiting for that.
"No thanks". I would reply with a
smile. "This is for my dog."
I don't think 1 ever dealt with the same
man twice in a row, but the reaction was
always the same.
"FOR THE DOG?!"
1 would explain that my dog had
diabetes, remind him that Drs. Banting
and Best used dogs in their long and
eventually successful odyssey which
culminated in the discovery of insulin,
and we would part with mutual cordiality.
1 had made the druggist's day, and he
had made mine.
We kept Kerry alive for two years. She
died one month after we moved here.
Real Living
Cheese
Come
and taste
old fashioned
vintage cheddars
in our historic building. We offer a
careful selection of fine Canadian
Cheese ... you are invited to try
Brown Bag Sandwiches and our
Gourmet Picnic Boxes. Don't miss
us or our Real Living Cheese.
3 locations in Stratford
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Write for our free brochure:
423 Erie Street
Stratford, Ontario
N5A 2N3
Call (519-271-3160)
Also at Festival Square and the
Farmers' Market Saturday mornings.
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1980 PG. 29