English Bulldog, 1985
I went out Dec 18, 1985 was captivated by and bought a new English Bulldog puppy – only 5 weeks old. I brought her home in Jan. at age 9 weeks, and began a hectic winter/spring of raising and training a cute but very rambunctious puppy. Her name – Trojans Lady Hecuba. Actually she is anything but a “lady,” but “Hecuba,” Priams Queen of Troy – the white witch of mythology – fits her quite well. The name came from the play I directed 8 years before, He to Hecuba, and my trip to Greece where I experienced Mycenae & artifacts from the Trojan War. When she was young, she was very energetic, dominant and assertive. It was a fight to the finish to see who would be boss. Hecuba could be very sweet and loving and but never did calm down with age as I expected. The trainer at Dog Obedience School once told me, “In a contest, Carolyn, You would get first prize – you do everything Hecuba tells you do do!”
Besides raising and training Hecuba, we both were consumed with illness the first year. Hecuba had inherited worms, mange and “cherry eye” from her mother; also had cysts, eating disorders, immune deficiency and sensitivity to insect bites. She went through 2 eye operations and I finally decided there were too many negatives to breed, so she got spayed. I’m happy to say her second 6 months of life was much healthier.
In 1987 Hecuba and I drove to Richmond, Va. for a marvelous 10 day visit with my cousin Fred Munier and his family. We steeped ourselves in the history of the region, touring old homes, Williamsburg and Jamestown and much more. At Fred’s home, the most fun was watching Hecuba, usually a blustery bludgeon – especially with 4 year old Joey’s exuberance, so we had to watch closely to see she did not hurt him. Yet, amazingly, Hecuba would gently nuzzle and play with 14 month old Suzanne. At one point we lost Suzanne and Hecuba and looked down in Hecuba’s dog crate, to find the two of them, 2 happy playmates, deep inside the crate having a fine time loving on each other.