In Memory of Cuddles

Saturday, October 18, 2008 In Memory of Cuddles

When we first moved to Cape Town, back in 2001, we moved into this duplex here in Muizenberg. We lived upstairs, and the people downstairs had Cuddles, a small terrier mix with coloring like a German Shepherd/Alsatian. They offered Cuddles to us a few months later, and we accepted, though we were not thrilled with her. I very quickly decided she was a good dog though, when Josh, who was about 6 or 8 months old, grabbed on to her eyebrow and pulled. She never snapped at him, just endured the torture, and then moved away.

We have since come to love her, and were very thankful for her help around the house. She was our doorbell, and she had such distinctive barks that we could tell to some degree who was here just by listening. Yapping meant another dog was passing, while a clear trumpeting bark was someone she considered legitimate at the gate. She had a very serious bark she reserved for people she considered suspicious. She once cornered some plumbers on our stairs with that bark, as well as stopping a man who hopped over our gate.

We have enjoyed bragging about how smart she was. She would watch Paul’s feet when he came outside. If he was wearing his brown shoes, she’d hardly lift an eyelid. If he came out in his sneakers/Tekkies though, she’d spring to life, jubilant in the prospect of a walk. The click of the hook on her leash would bring her running faster then the sound of food pouring into her bowl. Taking walks was her favorite thing in life.

One time we took her to the park and tied her to a rubbish bin, and forgot her! That was the week after Cherish went to heaven so that is our excuse for that little mistake. We found her the next day by calling around to all the dog rescue places here locally. The funny thing is that she really liked the lady who had taken her in. She acted like she would rather go with the lady then come back to us. The lady had been in the midst of writing an article about irresponsible people who abandon their dogs in a park, and she wasn’t too impressed with us.

Cuddles was never allowed out without a leash. She ran free on our property, but not on the street. Today, however, she went out to follow the boys as they ran a mile. At the end of Windermere Road, our street intersects a busy four-lane highway. The boys ran to the end and were going to turn right back. Cuddles ran out into the busy road, and a car came fast and struck her. She seems to have been killed immediately. The car did not stop. Our 3 kids are very upset, as well as their friend Jesse who was running with them.

She will be fondly remembered for the joy she gave our family for these 7 years. We called her Cuds, Cuddlesworth, and a few less complimentary names occasionally, but we are thankful for her good example of faithfulness and loyalty to our family. I wish I had a picture of her pulling me on my rollarblades.