As my faithful blog readers will remember, when I was growing up we lived over the store – actually over my father’s office. (See Parkchester, Celebrate Me Home and The Corpse in the Office)
Nowadays my dad would be called an internist or a primary care physician, but in those days he was just a GP. In fact he was the kind of GP who could take out your appendix or deliver your baby, and he actually made house calls carrying his iconic black medical bag. Hearing that he was a doctor, someone once asked my father what his specialty was. “The skin and its contents.”, he replied.
My dad’s office was on the first floor of our house and the front parlor served as a waiting room that you entered directly from the street. My father’s dentist friend Ben shared the office space and their patients shared the waiting room.
One day when I was about seven, both Ben and my dad had busy schedules and the waiting room was full. Later they both remember noticing a little dog curled up on the rug, but each assumed it belonged to one of the other man’s patients.
In fact we never learned how that collarless puppy got into the waiting room – if she wandered in from the street when the door was open, or if someone thought a doctor’s office was a good place to abandon an unwanted pet.
In any case, when office hours were over and all the patients were gone, the little dog was still there and so my father carried her upstairs.
“Would you like to keep this little ball of fluff?”, he asked me, gently placing a warm white and brown puppy in my arms.
But Fluffy was licking my face and I couldn’t speak, so my mother settled the matter.
“I think the answer is yes.”, she said.
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Thanx Sara, we had Fluffy for many years until she was hit by a car on McGraw Ave, stay tuned for that sad tale!
Love this! You were so lucky. Dogs were verboten in the nearby Parkchester 'hood.
Cute story.
Thanx, more about Fluffy to come.
So you are a dog and a cat person!
Yes love them both, but although I had many pussycats, Fluffy was my only dog!
Great story and memory!
Thanx Cassandra!
So the past is prologue. We pass on deepest feeling for pets and with it childhood kindnesses remembered, our treatment of our own children recalled, our hope for a better future in mind: We can do no more, should expect no less. N'est-ce pas?
Thanx Mike, I was an only child for ten years until my sister was born, and my pets were important childhood companions. I still love dogs and cats – especially cats! Do you?
I just read this. It is a darling story. I never knew anything about this chapter of your life and your parents' eagerness to take on a dog. But I love the story!
Thanx Robin! I guess both our families were cat folks with a dog thrown in only once and awhile!
What an unexpected gift!!! The “skin and its contents” had me chuckling!!! You have a great writing style Dana… sending love to you all xxxxx
Thanx Claudia!
We missed you on the Zoom call last week!
Stay well you all!
xox