Our first post.
It started like this.
One day in 2002 walking down Lexington Avenue I passed by a store I usually avoided. It displayed barking little dogs like shoes in its window. The city smelled of soot and despair. I was too early for an appointment and decided the store could not possibly smell worst than the streets.
I glanced around aimlessly for a while, and I noticed a little black and white dog. I knew those awful stores were called puppy mills, that the responsible thing was to contact
a breeder to get a pet. But after noticing this small puppy with bloody paws on metal grills chasing her own tail and barking in a small cage, too narrow and tiny, even for her, and a crude price tag attached, I was furious!. I had to save her.
Growing up I dragged home street cats and street dogs ( they were plenty in 70’s Istanbul) only to be told: ‘ There are people in need!. What a crazy notion! Animals don’t belong in houses, they are dangerous fleabags!’
I was intrigued by their wildness and freedom. So much more interesting than people. Although I was a bit frightened of them I also loved their presence, waiting for me in front of our house, in front of butcher shops.
Loving a creature is no small feat to begin with and try it on an alien who needs 24 hour room service and 24 hour bathroom duty and training and learning a new woof language. But, unlike human babies they don’t grow up and leave and end up annoying you. Betrayal, malice, meanness are unknown territory to them; they dwell only in Love and Treats. Their quiet presence is a balm, and it makes the medicine go down, as Mary Poppins sings.
And as we all know what a drug is Love and we were hooked!
We named her Babette, and to honour her
namesake we made a big feast!
Read on…
