How Gigi came to live with us.

Our family acquired its first dog, the Poodle "Gigi," in September 1969. Gigi was three or four years old when she came to live with us. A coworker of my Mom's had owned Gigi previously. The coworker decided Gigi was alone too much during the work week. She thought Gigi would do better in a household where someone—namely, my paternal Grandmother Tatjana—was home all day.

Four things had happened during the summer of 1969 that helped convince my Parents that we should adopt Gigi.

First, one of our neighbors had gotten an adorable Spaniel mix puppy, and I fell in love with it:

*     *     *     *     *

Second, another set of neighbors had left their cat temporarily in my care while they coordinated a house move. I was inconsolable when the neighbors returned to retrieve the cat.

(I don't have a photo of that cat, but its name was "Cleo.")

*     *     *     *     *

Third, we had spent the month of July at the Lake of Bays in Ontario, Canada. The owners of the cottage we rented had a marvelous Golden Retriever to whom I became somewhat attached:

*     *     *     *     *

Fourth, I was big enough to deserve a Schwinn bicycle. If I were ready for a real, three-speed bike, then I probably was ready for a dog:

*     *     *     *     *

And so, Gigi came to live with us. I was delighted:

Suburban Chicago, September 1969. Gigi promptly bonded exclusively with my Dad, and she lived to be almost nineteen years old.