IF SORROW burdens you, pass this column by, but
stranger, a5 you pass, bend your knee to my dead dog
because as he died, so must you and J and every other tiv-

ing creature.
It’s hard to know what public
face to put on a death in the fam-
“ily. Perhaps the old British tradi-
tion of a stiff upper lip is best.
But it seems better to talk about it
instead.

We may talk ourselves out of
tears, out of the sudden loneliness
that has taken the glow out of a
warm orange Indian summer.

‘ His full name was Namko’s

. , Coolee Chilco — Chinook jargon
for Running Chilco of Namko. He

’ was a Chesapeake Bay retriever
and pick of a litter of five.

He had been easy to pick, more
robust than the other pups, more
active but, above all, more curious
about everything. -

Throughout his life, which was

- Jong, his face was his character,
somewhat quizzical, always alert
and eager.

He had all the Chesapeake faii-
ings, also, being stubborn, in-

-- dependent-minded and sometimes
_ quarrelsome.

‘One day when he was a mature
dog and fully trained, I was’
walking him for exercise when a
man with an Airdale approached.

He was a pleasant fellow, as

was his dog, and he said, ‘‘Sir,
I’ve been watching you and I want
sto tell you that I have never secn a
-dog under such perfect | conty ‘ol as
‘yours.””
filles. who had dropped to

st. Pierre

PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES

, sitting position at riy left knee

when I stopped, aa hie should
must have found the stran-,.r’s
remarks condescending.

From a sitting position he |
launched himself at that innocent
and inoffensive Airdale and we
had the damnedest fight on our
hands.

He was about 30 kilos, on the
small side for the breed, but he
was solid.

When occasionally in hunting
camps we cast our bones on the
cold ground after a long, hard

day, he would tuck himself into

the small of ny back at the side
of the Yukon sleeping bag and we
helped warm each other all night.

His nose was not as good as
other dogs I have owned, but his
enthusiasm compensated. He knew
the bird was there and he was go-
ing to get it, no matter how long
it took.

One long autumn, working at
times in bramble and cactus and
at others in swamp mud so thick
he could not swim nor walk but
had to lunge through the stuff, I”
shot for a whole season and never
lost a single bird I saw come to
the ground.

Retrievers don’t last as long as
other dogs. They break ice in too
many duck ponds «nd develop
arthritis.

Their eyes grow cloudy. They
get deaf, partly from too many
muzzle blasts of the gun.pounding
against their ear flaps.

it is always hard to tell deafness
fron. stubbornness in a
Chesapeake, but genuine loss of
hearing does occur. ;

This fall, when he was !1, |

‘judged he was not ready for full
retirement and took him hunting
again. : ;

This year our hunting was dif-
ferent.

Chiico did not range out in
grouse cover but walked at heel.

It was his privilege to go to
retrieve downed birds or to decline
to as he chose. He always went
out and brought them back
proudly.

Surprising, I said to myself,

a ing interest in eléctions /1

From page.

our federal: representatives. I urge
very : ‘reader, to help get out the
vote on Oct::25."

CAPELAN HOWE SOUND

™ CANDIDATES:

ie: arty!
“The. most: ‘important thing. any
candidate or political party can-do
to get people to vote on election
‘day is to. give them something to
vote; for. We all .need to. believe

thatthe: choice we make. on elec-

tion: ‘day ‘will make’ a difference. I

* think” voting’ in’ this ‘election © will’

make a difference. |

Mary Collins ; .
: Progressive Conservative Party

WEST VANCOUVER’ S_ traffic
~“pylaw is being amended to require
-owners of commercial buildings
~"and multiple-family dwellings to
have snow, ice and rubbish cleared
“from adjacent. sidewalks by. 10
‘a.m. daily. -
Single-family residents are. ex-
empted from the bylaw.
Engineering ‘staff determined that

INEMA 1
MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY
Nighty 7:18pm, Sat 8 Sun. 3:1Som
Mature, sore swearing & occ. language

ANNIE HALL
Nightly 9:1$9m, Sat. A Sun, 5:15pm.
. Mature

Ensure that peopie recognize the
implications of the policies put
forward by the’ parties on’ the
future of Canada; our economy,
deficit and social programs.

Doris Faller
National Party

“Isn't it sad that special effort has to

be made to get people out to cast
their vote? A free cookie?

. Herb Grubel

Reform Party

- Citizens should be educated about
. their ‘civic duty to vote. by schools,

families, politicians and parties. |
oppose coercive measures like
fines for not voting.

' Audrey Sojonky
Liberal Party

WEST VANCOUVER:
DISTRICT COUNCIL

by Maureen Curtis

it is unrealistic to expect daily
snow-clearing from single-family
residences, Particularly by the el-
derly.

"CINEMA 2
FREE WILLY
Nighty: 7.00pm, $ Sat & Sun. 3:30pm

HOCUS POCUS
Night 2.00pm, Sat 8 Sun. 5:00pm
ture, GCe. victanoa

I do ‘not favor pushing the
‘disinterested and uninformed into
voting. I would hope and expect
that voter interest will build as
voting day approaches.

Peggy Stortz
Green Party of Canada
People should begin to vote for
candidates rather’ than for or
against a party.

itis time to re-think our polit-
ical strictures. .

Bill Tomlinson

Libertarian Party

At the polls, give each voter’ a
ticket in a giant lottery. The prize
would come out of the money

saved by cutting out the enumera-
tion.

Single-family homes are also
difficult to police- in terms of

bylaw enforcement during periods |

of heavy snowfall.

‘I! hope this won’t discourage
people in single-family homes
from clearing their sidewalks,”’
said Coun. Diana Hutchinson at
the Oct. 4 meeting of council.

CINEMA
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
Nig hay 7.05pm, Sat. & Sun. 3:05pm
Mature, Oc. coare and suggestive language
HEAAT AND SOUL

Nighty 9:05pm, Sat. & Sun, 5:05pm
Mature, warning: 68, ovarsa and suggestive language and violence

Friday, October 8, 1995 - North Shore News ~ @

o’s Coolee (

how he has perked up.

Then came a two-day rest at
home. When we started north
again, he got into the car fairly
nimbly but after seven hours’
riding, he could scarcely get out.

His face was thin and pinched.
He was puzzled that one of his
legs didn’t work any more.

The Williams Lake vet took
X-rays which showed that a chip
of his arthritic hip bone had
floated into the socket.

He gave him painkillers but
said, ‘Don’t fool yourself if he
starts prancing around like a pup-
py again. He will never hunt
again.”’

He didn't prance, and the next
morning ! left him in camp,
sleeping. We were a couple of
kilometres down the road when I|
turned the car around, I could feel
him following.

Near camp, on the little two-
track trail where the poplar leaves
lay in the ruts like lines of golden
coins, Chilco was coming up the
road on three legs. He was not
going to miss hunting.

This may be my strongest mem-
ory of Namko’s Coolee Chilco. . ~

Roasi turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy,

stuffing, vegetables, coffee/cea & pumphkia pie,

MEL

ANNERS, 921

5§
CSS

FULL HOUSE DEAL

Not the young, strong skookum

Chilco but the old Chilco ua the
narrow Chilcotin road, humping
along three-legged.

Better to wear out than to rust
out, they say.

So we put him in the back seat.
We left him there when we went
hunting, but when we came back
with birds we handed them to him
and let him hoid them in his
mouth and then deliver them to us
in the old way.

“Chilco’s bird,’’ we would say,
and his tail would wag.

Last night the vet came with the
merciful needle which our insane
society permits for dogs but ref-
uses to our fellow humans.

Chilco’s head fell in my lap in
the sleep of forever, and we
buried him under the tree in the
yard.

I don’t know if talking about it
is better or not. I have had to put
other old companions down whom
the gods decided had lived too |
long. You'd think it would get |
easier, but it never does. But
thanks for listening.

CNG 95

reservations recommended —

76" >

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