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Kelly and Mr. Muggs
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| Lulu: Nola's last dog before Muggs |
“Mom and Dad, can we get our dog now? We’re all settled in our new house!” I said.
It was early September 1947, and my new friend Joannie, who lived next door, was getting ready to start to kindergarten. I was twenty-six days too young to start to school with her, and I was already feeling lonesome. My brother was going into the first grade and all of Joannie’s brothers were also heading off to school. I was the only one who was going to be left behind at home. I think my mom sensed the urgency in my request. A dog would undoubtedly help me through my perceived abandonment.
Mom and Dad talked it over, looked in the paper and, within a week, we had a new family addition. She was a soft brown and white English Bulldog. She may not have appeared attractive to some, but to me she was the most beautiful living thing around. She was warm, friendly and lovable. I named her Linda. My new precious companion must have sensed she was my dog. If we were outside playing, she never left my side. I don’t remember her every growling, but I considered her my personal bodyguard as well as my new best friend. I’m sure my mother was delighted. It must have saved many hours of her listening to “I’m lonesome; I have nobody to play with!”
About the same time, my future husband’s family also purchased a golden brown and white bulldog. David’s father named her Muggs (officially, Mistress Muggsy No-Tool). If we had been neighbors then, perhaps Muggs and Linda could have been companions.
David tells me that every night, when his father turned the corner and drove down the street toward home from work, Muggs would sense his coming. She would stop whatever she was doing; perk up her ears, and head to the back door, anxiously awaiting the master’s arrival.
David with Muggs and I with Linda--we both experienced the same joy in having bulldogs. They were loyal, gentle and protective animals.
In January 1967, when our daughter Kelly was two years old, her baby brother William joined the family. At the time I said to David: “Every two-year old needs a dog.” In hindsight, I have no idea whatever possessed me to act on that thought. Raising a two-year old, a new baby, and a new puppy at the same time is crazy!
David and I talked it over and decided our children should have a bulldog, the same breed we had loved as children. The new Muggs became a family member in a couple of weeks. The brown and white puppy soon became Kelly’s best friend.
Mr. Muggs was lovable, not just to family, but to everyone. Unlike the childhood bulldogs that preceded him and were homebodies, Mr. Muggs liked nothing better than to run out the front door and down the street to meet new people. He would stop and try to make friends with everyone he saw. I would plead with all the adults to grab hold of his collar. They always looked at me like I was crazy. Who in their right mind would grab a ferocious-looking dog like that? Little did they know that behind the fierce face lay a sweet and gentle nature. Usually a child came to my rescue. Without fear, children would pet the dog and distract him long enough for me to catch up to him.
Most bulldogs only live about six years. Both my Linda and David’s Muggs survived longer. Our four children all had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Muggs because he lived twice the normal life span of his breed. Kelly was 14, William 12, Tom 10 and Kate 7 when Mr. Muggs headed to Dog Heaven to join Linda and Mistress Muggs. They were all lovable, gentle dogs; our children and we learned about pet care, love and first loss from these dear family pets.
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