Tinike & others whom I loved #57

 
I have always considered myself as a dog person. My first memories as a child was of a Hungarian Puli, beautiful black angel named --Tucsok, Cricket in English. Why or how he disappeared from my life even my mom does not remember. I have only one black and white photo with him, I must have been 4 on the front veranda  of our Attila Utca house. He was beautiful,perfect and I adored him. But I have always adored dogs.

Then there was--Maxi, the Alsatian before we left Hungary --on our escape trip during the revolution-- I cried for him and my special pillow in the little Hungarian village where we slept in on the last night in our country. years --I always dreamt of him bringing  him to South Africa years later. Alas-that never happened.

Then there was Danny--the little mixed Dachshund--we had for years. I forget where he came from or how we got him, but he always escaped when not on a leash after anything that moved--especially motorcycles. He was livid at the noise--he went mad. Often friends would bring him back from miles away--especially a friend of my dad--called Sekany--from the corner of Kotze Street by the OK Bazaar.--He just sat there by the traffic light we were told. Not once, twice--but many times.Why there, I have no idea. One day he ran off- into eternity, leash and all. We never did find him. I was heartbroken. I have two photos of him--one at Hartebeespoort Dam.

Then came --out of the blue--Diana., we found her wandering the streets of Hillbrow--we lived in Rhodes  Court, Dolores was born a year later. She was a gorgeous Pointer loving, black as jet---we only had her for a few short months. Beautiful. She got distemper and died the day we were leaving for our holiday in Durban--It was a sad holiday for me. My parents tried  everything to save her though--my heart was broken  into  thousands of pieces.

Then she entered--the love of my life. Tinike.

 Howling across the street in sorrow one morning  from the  flat--Magdineni, my grand-mother always loved dogs and went to investigate. She found this Airedale tied up who was howling. She let her loose, and brought her "home"--and a "fur  angel" entered my life--with brown eyes that burned into my very soul--my sweet , darling Tinike.  I was 12.

We asked Magdineni, my grandmother what should we call her--she said--"Tinny"--so she became Tinike. My father used to call her "Kutya Ur"--"Sir Dog" though she was a girl he never referred to her as anything else, he too adored her, as everybody did. Not as much as I did though.

We used to play hid-and-seek--my friend with her--my friend Sandra and I. We told her, to wait --not to move--and we would hide in different places,  then we would call her-and she would come looking for us. She had a human soul--she understood anything I said in whatever tone--amazing. I still think of it today.

Ye- this is my girl.

She would get a huge "scissors" hair cut every summer. We had these enormous black handled  pair of scissors we would use--not with shears at all--and she would look like a badly shorn sheep--but was happy and cool. She looked ridiculous.

This is the face that always got my heart me--and I love.

She used to take a dip in the fishpond in the garden on Terrace Road when she was hot in the summer--she would just stand there in the middle--the poor gold fish didn`t know what was happening. There there were the roll ins into --yuk that "smelly dead thing"--we sued to scrub her down with "detol".  She adored to do the "roll".

 Yes--and I adored that wet, black nose--when she snuggled.

Then there were the thunderstorms--she was terrified. She would take off and run to my grandparents  who lived at least 5 miles away-- We would find her there after searching high and low. She would shiver and shake for hours. Magdineni--my grandmother could calm her down.

Then--there was the howling! Whenever we would come home--she would hear the sound of the car engine--my dad`s car--and howls like a hyena. I had to jump out before my dad parked into the garage and run up the stairs to the flat so she would not wake the dead. This happened all the time.

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And she love all foo--especially vegetables--probably the only vegetarian dog in Johannesburg. Well she was no dog--but a person in the image of a dog. No hamburger for her--veggies and all.

 She went everywhere with us--even on holidays to Durban. All of us--Mom, dad, grandmother--baby Dolores on mom`s lap--no baby seats or seats belts then--  and I in the Rambler, later the white Dodge. he even went with us to the Kruger Park:-). We smuggled her into the park.

When Dolores was born--no one told her to be a guard dog. Whenever my mom left her in the pram --in front of the flat--you couldn`t move her from her side. She laid down and kept vigil. No one told her.  Everyone was amazed at her. She watched and watched and guarded her!

 Then I grew up--she was always with me through everything. My friend, love, confidant-always present.Through boyfriends--loves lost, loves found. Family, friend--Nagypapa, Magdineni --Many a  Christmas, birthdays, new years, holidays, graduations, moves, happiness, joy, sadness--. She was always my rock. From before Dolores at age  11- to after Laura- at age 28. Long time to be friends and lovers, especially at that time.
 

Funny for being a South African dog she adored the snow--!

When we were on our honeymoon with Leslie in Bangkok, Thailand--I saw a picture in a window as an advertisement for Kodak--it was a picture of two Airedale puppies--I begged and pleaded with the owner to let us buy it. He sold it to us--I still have it to this day--they are looking at me right now--Isn`t this awesome? After so many years?

We came to Canada in  March 1972, she arrived via Pearson Airport, Montreal--in September 1972, I was  5 months pregnant with Laurissa--and my love had arrived.  She was happy on Mapleridge Drive--then on Addington Street in Montreal.

Yep--this is what she looked after a few dips in the show, She loved it! She became a Canadian very soon.

First winter in Canada.

She had a nice blue sweater with  three red stripes on the neck part, - she wore this  every winter, loved to sleep and rest under the huge maple tree in the back. She lived for 4 years --in Canada, until her lungs gave up. She died under that tree, and is buried there--my sweet Tinike. When I got into labour with Laurissa--Leslie made a remark--saying: "Well at least now she won`t spend so much time with her Tinike"--imagine , being jealous of a dog.

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here is my girl, on my bed!

This picture brought back so much love, joy, happiness and enormous sorrow and sadness to my heart. When she died I cut some of her her and placed it into a box--I still have it in my memory box--I came across it a while back. I loved that beautiful soul so very, very much--my sweet Tinike.

I have so many stories about her in my heart--far too many to mention --but I know Tinike knows and above all God knows. I was blessed but a "fur angel"--a gift from God. 

This is the face of my heart-, the one I kissed goodnight every night--the one that kissed me every day, -the one I shall never forget and the one I shall  always love. My sweet Tinike,she was awesome, still is.