This week’s 52 weeks of genealogy challenge is to write about our first pet.
There were probably animals before I came along in ’64. We had a menagerie throughout my childhood. But, the first one I remember was our dog, Bubbles, which we got when I was four.
When my Godparent’s poodle became pregnant, we begged our Mom for a dog. She relented. I remember being so jealous of my brother because he got to go over and stay with them while the puppies were tiny. He also picked her out of the litter.
There was a battle over naming her. My brother wanted to name her Shadow and someone wanted Bubbles. In the end, she was named Bubbles Shadow, so all faction would be happy.
She was a funny looking dog. She was the accidental offspring of a Cocker Spaniel and Poodle. She really looked like neither. She was black with white chest and paws. Her fur had a slight curl to it from her poodle heritage. Her brother, Roscoe, looked nothing like her!
I can’t really remember her as a puppy. She was the sweetest dog to ever be tormented by five young children. I don’t know how she tolerated us to be honest. We bugged her constantly. She was such a wonderful dog for family. She got along so well with us all.
This is amazing when you realize that Bubbles had seizures. This was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A time when no treatment was known.
My Mom protected us from her seizures. We were all made to leave the house when one occurred. We asked alot of questions about it and knew that they only thing we could do was calm her.
I can remember being alone one day when she had one. I can’t remember how old I was, maybe 7 or 8. I sat with her on the ground and petted her until she got through all the shaking.
Bubbles lived until she was 8 years old. She had a cancerous tumor on her back that could not be removed. I remember it so well. This was the first time I had to deal with putting a pet to sleep.
That didn’t stop me from wanting to own dogs. I’ve had 3 since Bubbles. They add so much to our lives. I can’t imagine my family without dogs.
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If you’d like to read up more on me and my dogs, here are some links:
Misha’s Blog (yep, she’s got her own blog!)
