Mady

Mady (full name Madeleine, aka 'The Mooster') was acquired by us in Sep 1990 (a beautiful Apricot-coloured Standard Poodle) to be a friend for Zephy (our Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier).

Later inheriting the title of senior dog, Mady spent the first night after Zeph's death searching the house and garden for her missing companion. The next morning she watched, a little perplexed, as we buried her friend. Well really, in fact, she understood -- could smell the faint decay we missed. It's we who are perplexed.

She was a fast runner but very gentle and a great lover of stuffed chairs, sofas, and beds. Also an infinitely patient, if unsuccessful, stalker of squirrels.

She'd been born in April 1990, making her 15 years 3 months (3 months beyond her normal life expectancy) when she died peacefully here in July 2005. She is buried in our garden beside her first friend Zephy.

One can learn much from dogs. We do believe their a somewhat nobler species than homo sapiens. Here's one of us (Rod) trying to learn from Mady in "The Naturalist" and being helped by Mady in "Poem by Madeleine". And here's the other of us (Merike) puzzling out some of the same issues in "Garden Party with Madeleine".

When Mady arrived in Sep 1990 (6 months old) she was the 'junior dog' and slightly younger companion to the then 16-month-old Zeph. The two were inseparable.

Here's a picture (sorry, only a thumbnail) of Mady (on the right) and Zephy together. Mady loved to chase Zephy trying to nip her very short tail. For a little poem featuring Mady and Zeph together, see "Mady Surfs the Net".

After Zephy died (of some spinal disease) in Sep 1997 we acquired Bibi (a black Standard Poodle) to be her new friend. Here's a picture of Mady and Bibi together -- with Bibi still a young puppy not yet grown to her adult size. Unfortunately, Bibi (unlike all our other poodles) surprised us by wandering a half kilometer away to Danforth Ave. where she was hit and killed by a passing truck.

This left Mady yet again in need of a new friend, which need was answered with the arrival of Laijka in late 1997. Somehow we don't readily have at hand a picture of the two of them together -- but, as stated above, Mady was exceedingly tolerant of her rambunctious little friend -- letting Laijka lie on top of her (a little grey accent on top of a big apricot vowel).