Monday, October 25, 2010

Olivia and Quincy

Years ago Isabel and I were asked to write a brief story about our beloved dogs for the publication The Bark.
The illustrator Vivienne Flesher was hired to do a full page drawing of each dog. 
It is the only thing I have ever written that was published AND it was published NEXT TO a piece by Isabel Allende! Here is the final published version of each:

 
Olivia is a black hole of need.  She has Willie and me on a leash, she walks us twice a day. We have learned to sit and roll over at her command. We attack when she feels threatened. We follow her around all day. She sleeps soundly on a bench at the foot of our bed, so soundly, in fact, that she doesn’t wake up even when the alarm goes off. How on earth did we live before without Olivia? 
–– Isabel Allende

 
Quincy is my first love. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night just to pet his ears and kiss his nose because it is hard to go for very long without these affections. Quincy came from the San Francisco city pound and cost me five dollars and change. I love him more than anything. He has a very deep and complicated soul. I save his whiskers in a tin. 
–– Sarah Kessler


Sadly, Quincy is not with us anymore, we had to put him down in 2007. It broke my heart.

2 comments:

  1. I love dogs, but dogs give and expect love. (I understand the petting his ears in the middle of the night). We travel and are away from the house about four months a year, putting them in a cannel...Oh, no!! So, we decided long time ago to have cast.Cats are selfish creatures. Very nice to you when the fee like it o want something.(Remaind me of many people)But I had one cat, believe it or not, for 23 short years. If you believe in reincarnation, he was a mixer of Gandhi and El Cid Campeador, besides to be a perfect gentleman. He name was Agapito. Maybe I have to apologize to him now (better late than never), I am sure he did not like the name, but as the perfect gentleman he was, he never complained. I called him Agapapito, for that was the name of my first cat in Spain when I was just seven years old. ¡Sentimental que es una!!

    Luisa, an animal´s lover

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  2. Please, excuse my mistakes. I did not read it before send it. Oh, well, that is me!!
    Luisa

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