We didn't name him; he came second-hand.
Hamlet was bought by some students at Leeds market for 5 Shillings. Firstly he went to live in London but the family were out all day and he ate their shoes.
Next he went down to their country house in Surrey where they had several other dogs. He didn't seem to fit in with the others too well and they ate all his food. It was at this stage of his life that our paths crossed. It was mentioned that he was up for adoption. I told them I was interested.
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I took him for a long walk to see how he felt about me, we seemed to get along fine. I was unable to take him with me, so arranged to pick him up the following day.
Unfortunately, as I was driving away Hamlet ran under my car and he suffered a broken leg. It was a nasty break which required a metal plate. Unfortunately again, there was a postal strike on at the time, and the Vet' couldn't get the right sized plate, so used a bigger one.
All went well, but Hamlet's front right leg forever pointed sideways a bit. Still, he was OK. My bank balance suffered to the tune of about £100; a fortune for a penniless Art Student in about 1970, but he was worth it.
In 1973 Hamlet moved with us to France. He had the run of the countryside, children to play with, and everything a 25p black-n-tan mutt could desire. He was in heaven.
Sadly he also had 'desires' and occasionally he would disappear in search of a Chienne; often joining a group of other males on the same quest. This led to his downfall; after one vicious fight he limped home with his throat seriously damaged; after a second fight years later he did not recover. I'd been called away to England at the time and had left him with a friend. I returned too late for his burial, so had been unable to say adieu.
Hamlet was a lovely Dog; one I'll never forget. He was funny looking, full of fun, and as loving as a Dog could be. Above is a drawing of him asleep on the floor. I keep it on my desk.
I should have added that in the park, where I go with Billy, I often meet a dog who is the spitting image of Hamlet. If I believed in reincarnation, I would say it was him!
ReplyDeleteIf my memory serves me correctly I have a photo of Lady Magnon with Hamlet, a baby Kimbo and a daffodil.
ReplyDeleteSounds nice. He was a lovely dog.
DeleteHe sounds like a real character.
ReplyDeleteHe used to refuse to come for a walk with me in the mornings, so I'd go by myself. When I was a couple of miles away he'd suddenly turn-up. He thought it was a great joke!
DeleteLooks a nice hairy mutt. The best sort of dog
ReplyDeleteI thought so too.
DeleteI suppose that he was disaster prone goes with his character. A nice memory, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteNothing but nice memories about Hamlet. He was that type.
DeleteAs the old TV ad used to go..."Happiness is a dog called Hamlet".
ReplyDeleteI never asked why they called him that, I should have.
DeleteA good pal.
ReplyDeleteI still get emotional when I think about him.
DeleteBeing remembered is immortality
ReplyDeleteIn France I have his photo on my desk. Here it's just a rough sketch.
DeleteDog lovers always seem to have that one special dog in their life. I loved the story you told of his pretending to have no interest in your morning walk and then suddenly making an appearance 2 miles later. He clearly had a sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteHe definitely knew what he was doing. His pleasure at finding me deep in the woods was always wonderful. His tail couldn't have wagged harder.
DeleteHamlet sounds as if he had picked you right from the start. He did not intend to be left behind, and got himself run over in the process.
ReplyDeleteOur neighbor had a purebred Collie. He kept her on a chain outside. Another neighbor's randy beagle had desires too, and the collie wound up giving birth to puppies that looked a lot like Bingo, who looked nothing like a collie. He was thumping them over the head and throwing them in the river. We saved one. He was way too young to be taken from his mother, but we managed to get him through. He was named George, and he was marked like a beagle, with a collie body and tail on beagle legs. A very strange looking animal but the best friend a kid could ever have. He had the desires of his sire, and wound up hit by a car at an advanced age some distance from our house.
PS the owner of the collie never forgave Bingo for trespassing. How stupid he was!
Keeping dogs like that is pure torture, and they should be prosecuted. I'm sure there are minimum standards for dog ownership.
DeleteWe were children. My response now would have been quite different. We all cried our heads off. My father thought he was a bastard, but that was the that.
DeleteWhat a sad tale Cro.
ReplyDeleteWe had some wonderful years together, but the ending was very sad. I still miss him.
DeleteYou have very fond lovely memories of Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteOne's first dog is always very special.
DeleteHe seems to have had a happy enough life in spite of the broken leg fiasco.
ReplyDeleteHis life was quite dramatic from beginning to end. After he'd died we learned from a neighbour that he visited their farm every morning to steal an egg. They didn't mind, and we'd had no idea!
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