Josie

When Brian was about twelve, he was allowed to go to the animal shelter and pick out a pet dog. It was not a difficult choice: one look at each other and Brian and Josie were instant friends. Several months later, Brian's father felt that he was not getting a good enough education in California, and enrolled him in Kent's School in Connecticut. From that time, Josie became, in effect, our family pet. We all loved her, and still remember incidents from her life in the late 1970s. There was the time she endured the pain of a thorn in her foot, and she was so pathetic as she held up her leg, and her eyes conveyed a plea for help. At the time, Nick had recently received his driver's license, and he was able to take Josie to the vet, who took care of the problem. As time passed, Josie's life came to an end. Is it my imagination that we buried her somewhere on our property? We all loved that little dog.

Buster

Buster was a friendly Bedlington, belonging to my aunt May. Buster was a medium-sized dog, and I enjoyed playing with him in the early years of my life.

Inky

We Rentons bought our lovely black cat when we moved to 1000 Spruce Street in 1969. I was more of a cat person than a dog person, and I was very fond of that cat, as was Nicholas. There were two dreadful cats at 1000 Spruce when we moved in, one of them being called "Mama Kitty". I disliked both these cats, and was glad when they disappeared from our lives a few years later, from causes I don't remember.

Tatters

My eldest sister, Evelyn, loved her Cairn terrier, "Tatters". However, Evelyn suffered from asthma, and after undergoing various tests, was told to avoid animal hair. I don't remember how Tatters passed from our scene, but he was the last pet when our family lived at Dovers.