Duke

My wife keeps asking me which was your favorite dog? And I keep answering, “Duke!” She thought I would say Pluto or Earl, but I have very fond memories of Duke.

Pluto was my wife’s dog that she bought years before we married. So Pluto was actually my step-dog. I loved Pluto a lot, but I kept recalling Duke everytime I played with Pluto. I took such good care of Pluto that he soon was promoted to my dog from step-dog. My wife was a little jealous. Pluto lived to be 18 years old. My wife was very distraught at Pluto’s passing.

She insisted that we get another dog, but I liked not having to walk or care for a dog. I enjoyed the freedom to eat in peace. My wife kept insisting that we get another dog. When her birthday rolled around, she said, “If you get me a dog for my birthday, you won’t have to give me any other birthday presents!” Reluctantly, we went to PAWS Chicago to adopt Earl, a rescue dog from Austin, Texas. I can only imagine why they named him Earl. Probably because of the troublemaker from the TV show My Name Is Earl.

I must admit that I enjoy having Earl because he was easy to housebreak and he is a lot of fun to have around. My wife loves Earl so much that she says that Earl is the best dog she has ever had. So my wife asks me, “Is Earl the best dog you have ever had?” I think about it for a while, and then I remember Duke. I say, “Duke was the best dog I ever had.” My wife is surprised and disappointed by my response.

Well, Duke was a stray street dog that found us in 1970. We lived at 4405 S. Wood Street and we attended Holy Cross School at 4547 S. Wood Street in Chicago. My brothers and I always walked to and from school together. As the oldest brother, I was charged with the safety and welfare of my little brothers while our parents were at work.

One day on our way home from school, we see a dog standing on the southeast corner of 45th and Wood Streets. He looks friendly and he waits until we reach him. We pet him for a while and then we continue walking home. Surprisingly, Duke willingly follows us home. At home, we didn’t bring him into the house, but we did give him a bowl of milk with bread in it on the back porch. We play with him in the backyard until my mother came home. My mother doesn’t believe us when we tell her the dog followed us home. She orders us to to take the dog out of the yard and close the gates so he wouldn’t come back.

The next day, we’re walking home from school again, and we see the dog waiting for us on the corner. We pet him and then start walking home. The dog follows us home again. We feed him and play with him in the backyard until my mother comes home. Again, she orders us to get rid of the dog and we do.

That weekend, I went to Divine Heart Seminary for a visit to see if I was interested in attending the seminary. I learned that I wasn’t interested at all. When I returned home, we were eating dinner when I noticed the dog was under the table. I was very surprised to see him in the house because my mother was adamant that we would not have a dog! I asked my mother, “What’s he doing here?” She said, “He’s our dog now!”