  Princess Parker-MacGregor December 1985 - June 2000 Says Steve: When Pattie and I married, in addition to Pattie I acquired two children, one son-in-law, one grandson and Princess. Pattie claimed that Princess was a dog -- a papillon, to be precise -- but a closer observation of her behavior would show that she was actually a cleverly disguised squirrel.  Says Pattie: Princess was a "pound" puppy, having been rescued by me in 1986 from spending eternity in a landfill. When I visited the pound that day in August, there was a sign on her cage that said she was in her last 24-hours. In other words, if someone didn't take her by 5PM that day she would be put down. I used to tell people that I picked her out; however, it would be closer to the truth to say that she saw me coming. One other thing: Steve told Princess for over five years that he was not a dog person (he really likes cats), but she didn't believe a word he said. If he was home, she followed him everywhere he went. When he called to tell me he was on his way home from work, I would tell her and she would sit by the patio door waiting for him to arrive. Say both Steve and Pattie: Princess took her role in this family very seriously. She recognized family members as they approached the door and greeted them with a little circle dance and a wagging tail. Whereas, a stranger would be barked at until formally introduced. When she came to live with Pattie, Joyce and Mel Jr. were only ten and nine years old, respectively, so you might say that they grew up together. When our grandson Alex was born, she took a very protective attitude toward him until he became a toddler. For a couple of years if we told her that Alex was coming to visit, one would have sworn she got this sort of glazed look in her eyes that said "not again." Princess was with Pattie, Joyce and Mel for almost the full 14½ years of her life. She was about nine months old when Pattie brought her home from the pound. She helped Pattie through some difficult times and was a treasured member of the family. Her one quirk was that she didn't like dog food, she preferred cat and people food. She liked green beans, mashed potatos, meatloaf, etc. She attended all family events such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and birthdays. In fact, one of the best pictures we have of Princess is below. She had just attended Alex's birthday party and allowed her picture to be made with some of her "people".  Princess is greatly missed, and always will be!   |