Silver Bay and the Dog Named Boots - Conclusion

So, brought up on episodes of LASSIE  - during which I had to hide behind a chair during the climax of the show, not knowing if Lassie and/or Timmy would survive or die - and episodes of RIN TIN TIN, a super dog that could leap and fly across canyons and rivers to "get her man," when the judge of the dog competition in Silver Bay asked if Boots knew any tricks I shook my head and mumbled "no."

Daddy, behind me, whispered, "He knows how to shake hands."  Oh, Daddy, I thought, all dogs can do that.  But the judge smiled at me and said, "Oh, let me see."   I told Boots to sit as I bent down and put out my hand.  Boots lifted a paw and I shook it. The judge nodded, made a note of this event in her judging book, smiled at me again and moved on to the next dog.

The judge's smile stayed in my mind.  Boots was handsome, well-behaved and wearing a bright red bow.  Why shouldn't he win a prize? 

Time for the announcement of winners.  When it came to the canine category I held my breath. When Boots did not win third place or second place, my heart beat so quickly... Then first place was announced. Boots did not win that, either. I was stunned.  All our hard work for nothing.  Well, what could I expect from a dog that couldn't even jump out of a shallow cardboard box?  But wait....   

Another prize was going to be awarded - the dog that knew the most tricks.  And there you have it.  Boots won and Daddy and I brought home a croquet set, courtesy of S & Q Hardware. So don't underestimate your dog's abilities. And remember, when in competition, it doesn't hurt if one of the judges was your Sunday School teacher.

Silver Bay and a Dog Named Boots, Part 3

So back to the competition.  Mrs. R., the judge, finally got to me as stood there on the pavement in front of the Rexall store. Daddy was slightly behind me. The Pomeranian named Boots was next to me on a leash.  The dog was on his best behavior and very patient as the judge petted him and looked him over.

At the big New York dog show I've seen on television a judge always watches the dogs trot around a circuit.  But in Silver Bay, there was none of this.  All the people stood in line with their pets and the judge came by, looked at the animals and asked some questions.  When Mrs. R. (Romer? Reemer?) came to me she asked me the dog's name and maybe how old he was.  I probably explained that actually he was my sister Karen's dog.

But there was one question I know she asked:  Does Boots know any tricks?  I shook my head.  Mom, Daddy, Karen and I all agreed the Boots was kinda dopey - he couldn't even jump out of his very low cardboard box.  Tricks?  No, he didn't know any tricks, I said.  Then, Daddy whispered from behind me.  "He can shake hands."

Shake hands?  Didn't all dogs know how to do that?  I'd seen Lassie and Rin Tin Tin on TV.  Now
those dogs knew how to do tricks.... (to be concluded soon).

Silver Bay and a Dog Named Boots, Part 2

Certainly someone else in the Kelley Class of 1969 remembers this grand event held in the Silver Bay Shopping Center, 1958 or 1959.  (If it was in 1959, perhaps businessmen or the City council or a group of Silver Bay citizens were trying to take our minds off the Steelworker's strike that seemed to go on forever and sent my family back to the farm.  I will certainly write about that later.)

As far as this animal contest - Daddy convinced me to take Boots.  And we spent the morning of the competition making the Pomeranian look as beautiful as possible.  We bathed him and brushed him and he actually seemed to like all the attention. Mom did a lot of sewing, in fact she was apprenticed to a dressmaker in Minneapolis in her teen, so she had all kinds of ribbons in a sewing basket. We we chose red and tied a big bow around his neck so you could barely see his collar.Boots was as handsome as I'd ever seen him.

We lived on Charles at the corner of Banks so the Shopping Center was just up the hill, past the woods and the green steel municipal building.  I think we may have walked up to the event for I recall walking through the parking lot that was nearly full.  There were a lot people with their pets. There were probably cats. Maybe rabbits, too?  Hamsters? Tropical fish?  Turtles? But I only remember dogs. There were so many of them.  And this sense of hopelessness came over me.  Boots would never win a prize. Not with this many dogs competing for a prize. 

The judging took place on the cement walkway in front of the line of shops.  I stood with Boots on this sidewalk, near the entrance of the Rexall store.  There were many dogs on either side of me.  Most were with adults owners.  Daddy stood behind me.  The judge was a lady I knew.  She was one of my Sunday school or Bible school teachers.  Her name started with an R.  Maybe Mrs. Reimer?  Roemer?  She went down the line of dogs, slowly, looking at each carefully and asking questions... (to be continued)

Silver Bay and a Dog Named Boots, Part 1

This is my sister Karen's dog, a Pomeranian named Boots.  He's the second dog in my life, the first dog was a working Shepherd mix that herded cows and lived in our barn in Harris, Minnesota.

I don't think people bought beds for dogs then.  We couldn't just go to a Walmart or Target and buy one, spending time deciding the size, color, softness, etc. Boots napped and slept in a cardboard box.  When he was bad, someone would say, "go to your box" and he obeyed.  He weighed no more than fifteen pounds.  The box was maybe 14"X 24".  The important detail was the depth, the cardboard sides were no more than 7 inches high.  He would jump into the box on command or on his own.  But when he wanted to get out?  Someone would have to lift him out. 

He's not much to look at in this photo - it's cropped from another photo and the only one I could find of Boots. But in the spring or summer of 1958 or 1958, the Silver Bay Shopping Center hosted a "Best in Show" animal competition. Entering Boots in this contest was Daddy's idea... (to be continued)