All Pinked Out

Mike the bulldog was very much part of the inspiration for this All Pinked Out blog of mine. We both had been diagnosed with cancer, and he seemed to enjoy the somewhat entertaining emails which detailed my progress through the treatment program of chemo and radiation.

Many years ago the Detroit fire department decided to forgo that age-old belief that a fire hall needed a dalmatian in its midst. Lets try a bulldog they cried. If the bulldog is good enough to be the corporate symbol of Mack trucks, and the mascot for the US Marine Core and Yale University then it is good enough for us!

According to the AKC’s World Of The Pure Breed Dog (of course Senor and I keep a reference copy in our kennel) the breeding that went into the development of the Bulldog was extraordinary. Most important was a temperament providing courage and tenacity so much admired in this dog. With that compact body and a head which could hang onto a bull’s nose while still being able to breathe (bet you did not know that) he must have been adorable in his uniform.

One thing I know for sure (who else said that ?) is that I enjoyed many memorable moments with Mike. The first time I met him I was rather surprised that he was very aware of the price of kennels in Vancouver. He was an American, he lived in Detroit ,and I did not expect him to be a fan of the CBC National News . That was just the tip of an iceberg of incredible information which he had in that head. Frankenfish, how to make the perfect martini, it went on and on. He also enjoyed shopping for groceries and feeding people. We are talking about a male who would cook a turkey at Port Franks when it was over 90 degrees, with matching humidity. Even now when I see an ad for Kroger on television I think of him. (We get Detroit TV on cable) Senor reports that he was a wonderful dance partner. What a picture they were on the dance floor of the ship The Swiss Pearl. How Mike and I enjoyed smoking pepperonis at the cottage !

Mike went out of his way to do things for Senor and I. He was a Sanders hot fudge connection on more than one occasion,  and once he drove from the cottage to Windsor to pickup a Detroit Fire Department baseball hat for me to take back to Senor.

We are thankful  that Mike’s pain and suffering are over and that he has crossed The Rainbow Bridge. Maybe the Ambassador Bridge also ,come to think of his trip back from Florida via automobile.