According to William Secord, the leading authority on 19th century dog painting and the founder of the William Secord Gallery, "The English come by their affection for dogs honestly: when Charles II came to the throne in 1660, dogs enjoyed an unprecedented place in the Royal household, and he was inconsolable when one of them ran astray; Queen Victoria had as many as 75 dogs at her kennels at Windsor Castle. This Royal love for canines was reflected in all levels of English society - and just as Queen Victoria found solace in the love of a dog, so do the majority of English citizens today."

Just like Mom did! That is why our family (hunting) dog lived at a hunting kennel a half - hour drive from our house. I'll bet Dad found a closer kennel, and she probably convinced him that it was better for the dog to be out in the really remote country. Her real concern probably was that the dog might find his way home.

I remember one Halloween, Mom was dressed in one of her belted, full-skirted, flowing pastel floral dresses. The front door bell chimed to announce another kid. She ran on cue toward the front door (nicely Pavlovian) to hand out lollipops. I was in the kitchen supplementing my sugar intake when I heard a primal scream. I dropped the bowl of Neapolitan ice cream, kicked the rotating door of the dining room and ran into our front foyer. It was fantastic!!! Even I couldn’t have done better! The dog had gotten the big salad bowl of lollipops and, one by one, eaten them all. All that remained at the crime scene were some spit-covered sticks and plastic covers. But these were well-strewn from the front foyer into the dining room to a spot on the floor where the big empty bowl was overturned. Maybe this was a pivotal event in my parent’s marriage, hmm. Maybe there was an ultimatum given that night. Overnight camp for dog in the country!

You may have guessed by now that we never did the total English thing of the photo or painting of us as a family with our beloved dog. It may have been deep in Dad’s subconscious to be even more English in nature than we already appeared, but it wouldn’t happen.