AB - Wednesday, September 12, 1984 - North Shore News SPECIAL MILD NY ‘SPECIAL MILD | 1LO0's Try EXTRA LIGHT FILTER TIPPED } EXTRA |) LIGHT 1OO's Rothmans 100s. Warning Health and Wettare Canada advises that danger to health mereases with amount smoked avoid inbaliny map Rothmans Special Mud Rothman toctra bight Tar lar i my Nua Mop Nu ny Won " SYKES COLLINS 1971-84 T His name was Sykes. “Sykes Collins,’? was the way he was described in the vet’s records, and he was a Boxer dog, perhaps the best Boxer that ever lived; not in the kinds of things that make an animal valuable in dog- shows, perhaps. His friendly old bum was too big for that. But he displayed more character than many human beings do and sometimes gave us more laughs thari we could manage. And he was a gentleman. He never_did his business on a sidewalk or a roadway, for instance. He always had to go behind a bush. If he had a fault, it was that he was too friendly. Oh, he’d had a few fights in his time, and couldn’t stand Dobermans. Once, when he was in his prime, he and a Doberman met in the middle of the soccer field at Delbrook Park. It was just like two tanks coming together, and when the dust subsided Sykes had _ the Doberman behind the ear and it took me five minutes to pry his jaws loose. They Dear Editor: With the election now behind us it is possible to review recent political events with a measure of impartiali- ty. With that in mind | hope you will-allow my drawing your readers’ attention to the strange matter of Mr. Turner’s erstwhile position of three-way cooking versatility temperature BE mailbox [><| The Option 3 Micro Convection Ovens Stngie-or doubte-oven, they offer you great Convection for beautiful baking with infinite temperature setuings from | 25° 425° F Combination microwave and convection to gether for superb roasting with stabie oven Microwave for defrosting. warming, and (ook ing fast with 10 true power setuings HERE ARE, [I KNOW, a lot of big things happening in the world: governments fall- ing, bombs going off, and maniacs on the loose. But a close friend has died and | can’t ignore his passing. It is to be hoped that I can get through his obituary without bawling. met again later, and this time Sykes got the worst of it. But he was cheerful in defeat. The vet didn’t cry, either. But I was talking about how friendly he was. We always used to say that if a burglar got into the house, Sykes would probably knock him over. But not in anger. He liked everyone, and, unless controlled, would jump up and try to rub noses. If he couldn’t do that, he would do what all Boxers do: wag his whole rear in a paroxysm of pleasure, he having no tail to wag. Nose would meet backside in joy. The posties may have been a bit suspicious of him, though, because when the mail arrived he would hurl himself at the door as if a dozen devils had come through the letterbox. But if he was outside when the mail came, he would just go on snoring, of which he did a lot. Eleven years ago, he even became a TV star. I was do- ing a documentary on acupuncture and old Dr. Saito of West Vancouver having no seat in either House of Parliament, yet be- ing described as ‘‘prime minister .”’ Encyclopedia Britannica defines the cabinet as ‘‘a committee of privy coun. cillors, with seats in parh- ment.’’ That same source goes on to give chapter and at home ‘nm Vent. SPECIAL PRICING ON BOTH OPTIONS wanted to demonstrate ‘that the needles didn’t hurt. Sykes was a ham, and was put on the doctor’s table to be guinea-pig. Every time the ee get this straight Doug Collins eee good doctor put the needles in, Sykes would reach up and lick his face, and you could hear people laughing from coast to coast. The trouble with dogs is that they capture the emo- tions too easily. As Rudyard Kipling put it: verse, “‘Cabinet members must have seats in parlia- ‘mgent, both in order to defend their political actions, and to enable parhament to hold them to account.’’ t am convinced that it 1s the duty of thoughful citizens, of all political stripes, to show nds the least Tne hoodless cooktop that fits in almost anywhere, counter, corner, island, or peninsula. At the push of a button, the intake rises 7°’ up from the cooktop. Suitable for interior or exterior installation, the slim vent design leaves lots of room for drawers and sheitves undemeath. Griddle ‘n’ Grill models gtve you short-order versatility For superb gas or electric Cooking, nothing tops Cook * See the new Europa Black Glass Cook Top. ans Thermador“; When Performance Counts — Dee Our Complete line of built and tree standing appliance: FREEDMAN APPLIANCE (AG.) LTD. 4265 MAIN STREET, VAN. 40 years same location Requiem for a true gentleman Brothers and Sisters, | bid you beware, Of giving your heart to a dog to tear It became clear a couple of months ago that Sykes Col- lins didn’t have too long to live, he having been with us for nearly 13 years. His ticker was in bad shape, his legs were stiff, and other symp- toms of old age were manifesting themselves. He was put on pills (which he spat out in disgust whenever he got the chance), but we knew he had been on his last frolic in the woods. Then he gave up eating. The san who had chosen him from the lit- ter came by, and shed a tear at the sight of him. It had been our hope that he would die one night on his bed, but he didn’t, and in the end we knew there was only one thing to do. We had him put to sleep, as the sayng goes. | was holding his head when it happened, and it was all over in about 15 seconds. All over, that is, except for the heartbreak. Still, many human beings would like to go as painlessly. I don’t think we’ll have another dog. It's all wrong, that bit about parting being such sweet sorrow. And Kip- ling didn’t know the half of it, either. It’s been blubber- and-choke time around here. Non-elected PM an ‘illegitimacy’ acceptance of the prime ministereal arrangements following Mr. Trudeda ‘ resignation through to September 4th’s general elec- tion as a model to ever be followed or tolerated. Francis M.L. Barthropp West Vancouver a otal 874-3933